Here’s a golfing trivia question for you.
Who was Paul McGinley’s opponent when the Irishman holed the winning putt at the 2002 Ryder Cup?
Nearly 14 years after being the USA Team player to ‘lose’ the Ryder Cup and Jim Furyk still talks of McGinley as one of his good friends.
While McGinley was making his Ryder Cup debut at The Belfry, Furyk had played on the previous two USA teams, losing in 1997 but winning in 1999 before also going onto to play in ever Ryder Cup since to now be a veteran of eight encounters against Europe.
Jim Furyk can do nothing as Paul McGinley holes a 12-foot putt to hand Europe victory in the 2002 Ryder Cup. (Photo – www.europeantour.com)
Paul McGinley of the European team celebrates his win on the 18th green against Jim Furyk of the US team in the singles matches for Europe to win the Ryder Cup at the Belfry on 29th September 2006 in Sutton Coldfield, England.
There was only one other occasion when Furyk and McGinley faced each other in the biannual competition and that was at K. Club in 2006 where Furyk teamed with Tiger Woods to defeat the all-Ireland duo of McGinley and Padraig Harrington 3 & 2 in the Saturday afternoon Foursomes.
“I know Paul McGinley pretty well and I consider him a friend,” said Furyk.
“It wasn’t a surprise to me about this time last year when he was appointed the new European Ryder Cup captain, and while I really don’t pay attention as to who is next in line over in Europe to be appointed, Paul’s choice was not a shock to me by any means.
“Of course, Paul and I played against each other in the Sunday Singles and the Belfry matches back in ’02.
“He knocked in that 12-footer for par on the 18th to halve the hole and halve the match, and that was the half point that got Europe to 14 points and that’s when the place erupted with me standing there on the green.
“But then Paul is really a true gentleman and I’ve since got to see Paul a lot, and come to know him better.
“So I know he’s going to have his team in great shape come September and it’s going to be nice to again make the US Team and travel to Gleneagles.”
However when asked what he knew about Gleneagles: “All I know that there is two courses there.
“I know there is a Kings and a Queens course and we are playing the newer one, and all the European Tour players I speak to say they like the newer one.”
In fact, there is three courses at Gleneagles and it will be the ‘newer’ course, the PGA Centenary course and Jack Nicklaus’ first golf course design in Scotland, and a course that caused enormous controversy when it opened being the first at the Home of Golf to have motorised cart paths.
