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Once a Ryder Cup captain, always a Ryder Cup captain.
Or so it seems.
Just days after 2014 European skipper Paul McGinley called Matt Kuchar’s character into question over his handling over that carry-on with Sergio Garcia, it has emerged that Paul Azinger – the mastermind of America’s victory at Valhall in 2008 – didn’t hold back in his criticism of the Spaniard.
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Commentating on the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play for NBC on US television, Azinger pointed the finger of blame for ‘Gimmegate’ squarely at Garcia.
“I think Sergio spun that whole debacle into being personal,” he said. “Sergio is hot-blooded. And I think he tried to make this thing personal, change the whole kind of mindset.
“Once you miss, you don’t just slap the next one. You have to be looking at your opponent. Just very careless.”
During the Sky Sports’ coverage of the event, McGinley said the incident gave an insight into what Kuchar is really like.
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“You see the smiley, nice Matt Kuchar,” said the Irishman. “[But] you’ve seen the incident with the caddie. There’s a hardness about him. Don’t be fooled by him.”
Kuchar and Garcia have since attempted to diffuse the controversy by appearing in a video together, which was posted to Garcia’s social media accounts, explaining their version of events.
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