Ireland’s Paul McGinley celebrated the one year anniversary of his appointment to lead the European Ryder Cup team with a four under par 68 on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
McGinley, contesting his first tournament of the New Year, raced to five under par mid-round and with his only dropped shot at 16 when he superbly chipped-in for a bogey.
Paul McGinley celebrates his one year anniversary as Ryder Cup captain with a 68 on day one of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
It left the 47-year old Dublin-born McGinley lying just one shot off the lead in the $US 2.7m event and as he also looks to end a more eight-year winless drought.
Three players – England’s Matthew Baldwin, Frenchman Romain Wattel and Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello.
Twelve months ago McGinley attended a Players Championship Committee within the St. Regis Hotel on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi when Committee Chairman, Thomas Bjorn indicated he has been voted to captain Europe later this year.
McGinley attended a similar meeting in the same hotel on Tuesday evening and could not help being reminded of the most important milestone in his then 22-year professional career.
“It was interesting on Tuesday walking into the same room at the St. Regis for the committee meeting, obviously the agenda not quite the same as it was last year from my perspective,” he said.
“But yeah, it’s good memories. It was a roller coaster of emotions and on the Monday beforehand and the Tuesday, as well, too, but that all changed when I got put in position as captain on that Tuesday night last year.
“And since that night it’s been very exciting. It’s an exciting time in my life and I’m really enjoying it and I’m keen to play well, as well, too, because I think that’s an important part of my captaincy is to stay competitive on Tour and play with two young kids like I did today.”
In fact, McGinley is contesting the opening two rounds in the company of two of Europe’s brightest young stars in England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen.
And while McGinley outscored both, Fleetwood shooting a 73 and less than week after going so close to victory in South Africa, and Olesen a 74, the Irishman was delighted to observe first hand the efforts of the pair.
“It was a big learning curve for me today, playing alongside Tommy and Thorbjorn,” said McGinley.
“Tommy Fleetwood is a young kid just coming on Tour, and I’ve played with him three or four times now and that’s great. Should he make the team I feel I’m better prepared to manage him and same with Thorbjørn.
“It was a big information‑gathering process for me playing with young guys like Tommy and Thorbjorn and a great opportunity for me to get to know them and know their games.
“You can watch them on TV and all that kind of thing but standing toe‑to‑toe with somebody is when you really get an appreciation of their game.
“The two are very strong players but there’s a whole there’s probably about seven or eight really young kids that haven’t played before, and I’m calling them kids.
“Tommy really is a kid, he’s only in his very early 20s. Their games are so impressive. We are very fortunate in Europe that not just this Ryder Cup but future Ryder Cups we’re in good hands in terms of what’s coming through.”
