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Don’t panic.

That’s the message from Paul McGinley following Europe’s record Ryder Cup defeat at Whistling Straits last month.

The mastermind of the 2014 victory at Gleneagles believes that it’s important to resist knee-jerk reactions in the wake of the 19-9 “Walloping in Wisconsin” but added that it’s vital lessons are learned and some tweaks are made in time for the next match near Rome in 2023.

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Appearing on the latest episode of The bunkered Podcast, in association with Motocaddy, McGinley said: “I think it’s important that we don’t overreact just because we’ve lost one Ryder Cup. Remember, only three years ago in 2018 in Paris, we gave them a whipping. We absolutely hammered them. So, it’s not like everything needs to be ripped apart.

“The main thing, above all else, is that we nurture and give opportunities and let our younger players come through. The likes of Robert MacIntyre. We need to make sure Bob has the nurturing and support that he needs. He’s very European. He’s very Scottish. That DNA generally makes great Ryder Cup players. We don’t want to lose him. We don’t want him to become American-ised. He’s got to be very much European-focused.

“Those kind of guys need support, they need structures, they need help in promoting themselves in order to, in two years’ time, hit the ground running as a Ryder Cup player.”

McGinley firmly believes that the reintroduction of a team event in non-Ryder Cup years – such as the Seve Trophy – is another thing that needs to be looked at.

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“There’s a lot of thought needs to go into it all,” he added. “The Americans have gone through this with their Task Force. It’s taken them four or five years to get to where they need to. Hopefully it’s not going to take us that long but there is a changing of the guard happening and some challenges we need to navigate and pick our way through.”

McGinley’s appearance on the latest episode of The bunkered Podcast coincided with the launch of his brand new show on Sky Sports Golf.

“Golf’s Greatest Holes”, a six-part series co-hosted by former Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris Hollins, debuted last night with the first few episodes focusing on McGinley’s native Ireland and nearby Northern Ireland.

To find out more about it, visit the show’s official website.


author headshot

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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