After delivering the Ryder Cup, European captain Paul McGinley finally conceded that he did feel the pressure of being the overwhelming favourites.
However, his world No1 player Rory McIlroy and constant interaction with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson helped the Irishman overcome it.
“Yeah, we had pressure on us, but I think of Rory McIlroy. The No1 player in the world, he has pressure on him in every tournament and he knows how to deal with these situations when you’re favourite,” said McGinley, whose men won 16.5- 11.5 yesterday for an eighth victory since 1995.
“It was one of the reasons why Alex Ferguson was a guy that I asked a lot of questions of. Most matches Manchester United would have played in, they would have been favourites, and dealing with that was something he was used to and comfortable with.
“He gave me a couple of pointers in that direction and I had a view of my own: Let’s embrace this situation. Let’s not be embarrassed about or think it’s a disadvantage.”
McGinley has won three Ryder Cups as a player and two as a vicecaptain. But he admitted the triumph at Gleneagles did not compare to the times when he was part of the winning Ryder Cup team as a player in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
“Proud is the first word. I want to say it’s been a real honour to get these 12 players, they have all been colossal, and all of them, the caddies, the backroom team, five vice captains, it’s been a huge team effort. We had a real plan and we had a structure with three or four big ideas that we kept going back to and we kept feeding into and ultimately they proved to be right.
“It was a real honour to represent these players and do a job for us. Still, nothing beats playing and I told them they have to enjoy that. There’s nothing like the adrenaline of walking to that first tee with the home support bellowing at you.
“It’s a great thrill, and I wanted the players to enjoy that, because your career goes very fast. I’ve loved being captain but there’s nothing that beats playing. Nothing can compare to that.”