Newly-appointed European Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley is hoping US opponent Tom Watson will agree to play a ‘straight bat’ in their eventual signing of the ‘Captains Agreement’ ahead of the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Last year’s defeated American captain, Davis Love 111 revealed in the aftermath of losing to Europe how he’d played a hand in the location of the Sunday Singles pins at 17 and 18 at Medinah. 

Paul McGinley relaxing on the practice range ahead of this week’s Qatar Masters. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

But McGinley when he sits down with Watson wants it written into the Agreement that both captains agree not to get involved with flagstick placements over the three days at Gleneagles.

McGinley said:  “It’s too early yet to be talking about how Gleneagles will be set up so I will need to see the composition of the two teams first, and we’ll have to wait to see how that pans out.

“But I’ll say this, and I’ll say it to Tom Watson publically, I will be playing a very straight bat on most things. 

“The big advantage playing at home is that you can set up the golf course accordingly and I will be taking advantage of that.

“But in terms of pin positions, and Davis (Love 111 –USA Captain) let it be known afterwards he had a little bit of control over the position of the pins, I certainly won’t be having any control over that aspect of the set-up.

“So there are a lot of things I would like to see put into the ‘Captains Agreement’  and it is going to need Tom to agree.  It’s going to need the Americans to agree and both the PGA of America and the European Tour to agree.

“I don’t want to reveal what those aspects are but I have a lot of ideas.”

The ‘Captain’s Agreement’ documents have to be in place before the official start of qualifying for both teams and for Europe that will no doubt be later this year.

And McGinley’s no stranger to Gleneagles having contested eight Tour events staged on the PGA Centenary course including the past five.