It’s less than 60 days to the start of the London Olympics and Paul McGinley’s in the pool.
However the triple Ryder Cup winning star, who is contesting this week’s Wales Open, is not out to make a last dash bid to join the Ireland swim team.
McGinley’s taken to swimming 40 laps a day of the 25 metre pool at Wentworth to help improve his troublesome knee.
Paul McGinley takes to the pool to help improve his troublesome knee,
And the many laps of backstroke and crawl are beginning to work wonders for the near certain 2014 European Ryder Cup captain.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt fitter as I’ve cut down my gym work and I’ve been swimming a lot, so I feel in great shape,” he said before teeing-up at Celtic Manor.
“I spend about four to five days a week, and swimming about 40 lengths swimming backstroke and crawl , but Idont’ do the breast stroke.
“The swimming has given me a real awareness about my upper body and my knee is good as a result of all the swimming.
“I just haven’t got into the gym at all because of my knee and with Liam Hennessey, I did a lot of the heavy work in terms of rebuilding but now it’s about maintenance that trying to rebuild.
“I talked to Liam about putting the strength back into my knee and because of the swimming, my knee feels great.
“I am afraid now of undertaking more gym work and then it will not feel great again because at the end of last year it got bad again. I got it cleaned out again and I’ve promised myself ‘right’, I am going to cut back my gym work and keep the maintenance work going.”
It is once again a happy return to Celtic Manor for McGinley where in 2010 he was one of Europe’s five vice-captain’s in helping steer Europe to a one point success.
“My best memory from that week was, of course, that we won, but being at the 17th green with like a million people and seeing Graeme hole that putt was special,” he said.
“It was just a great advert for the European Tour and a great advert for golf for the matches to come down as close as they did.
“The Ryder Cup is a special week. It’s a special occasion and one of the best things here in 2010, and at The Belfry when I played in 2002, was the huge burst of excitement at the end.
“That was different to the K. Club in 2006 where we counted the victory. So it’s always more exciting when you score a goal in the last minute rather than being 3 nil up with 10 minutes to go.”
