Paul McGinley indicated on the eve of the event he would be taking a backseat role but there was no hiding the enthusiasm of the European Ryder Cup captain on the opening day of the Seve Trophy near Versailles.
McGinley went through three changes of clothes during the day before ending up in a shirt and tie for a stint commentating on SKY TV.
The Dubliner has his own ‘Paul McGinley’ named golf buggy and he was spotted all about the St. Nom-la-Breteche course on a day when Jose Maria Olazabal’s European side scored a first round Fourball 3 ½ to 1 ½ points victory over Sam Torrance’s GB & I side.
Paul McGinley has his own golf cart to keep an eye on this week’s Seve Trophy. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
After the all-Scotland duo of Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher won the opening match 3 & 2 against Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez it was then all blue with the European’s winning 3 ½ out of the next four.
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano handed out the biggest defeat of 5 & 3 to the Scottish pair of Scott Jamieson and Marc Warren.
“The better team in Europe are slightly ahead in terms of how they played golf today,” said McGinley.
“Sam’s going to have to rejig things, and it’s important they come out tomorrow and have a fast start.
“There seemed to be one or two players on the European team, Gonzalo and Luiten, who had an incredible high number of birdies whereas the GB & I team were not quite firing on all cylinders.”
McGinley hosted both teams to dinner at the Trianon Palace in Versailles on the eve of the event and showing them also the Olazabal motivation video the Medinah captain had played to the European team.
“We showed the video and then I addressed the team for about 15 minutes and then we had a birthday cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ as it was Miguel girlfriend’s birthday,” said McGinley.
“We then watched the Man City and Bayern Munich game and tonight it’s the turn of the caddies.
“But I can’t believe how tied I’ve been as I slept nine-and-a-half hours last night and 10 hours the night before and it’s just that last week caught up with me.
“I went straight from the ‘Year to Go’ celebration to the Dunhill Links and then to here to France.
“So that’s why this week has been great already because up to now all the Ryder Cup work I’ve undertaken has been media and commercial matters and this is the first time I’m actively involved with players.
“That’s what makes being here refreshing.”
And McGinley revealed he will end his 2013 season in accepting an invitation to compete later this month in the BMW Masters in Shanghai and the opening event of the four ‘Final Series’ events to end the European Tour year.
“BMW is one of the main Ryder Cup sponsors and that’s how the invitation has come about however because I am not in the top-60 on the Race to Dubai any money I earn doesn’t count on the money list,” he said.
