Column: McGinley ponders Ryder Cup pairings

By Greg Allen at Gleneagles

It was a perfect, calm, sunny autumnal morning with a heavy dew for the first official practice day at the Ryder Cup. The two teams arrived yesterday at Gleneagles and Paul McGinley addressed the team for the first time as a group of 12.

At a press conference yesterday, he outlined his core message. "The bottom line is this is a very strong American team," he said.

"The favourite tag is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned" - Paul McGinley

"The favourite tag is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. We're going to have to play really well to win this Ryder Cup. We certainly won't be underestimating this American team or Tom [Watson]. We're going to be right on it. If we're going to win this Ryder Cup, we've got to be on it."

And for Tom Watson, the American captain, the message to his team is all about redemption for a painful defeat in an extraordinary comeback by the Europeans two years ago in Chicago.

Seven of his team here were on the wrong end of the 'Miracle in Medinah'.

"I have made it very clear to them that this is a redemption trip," said Watson.

"Those players that played on that team...it's time to make amends and try to redeem yourselves for what happened in 2012. I think it's a motivation rather than a negative."

McGinley made one serious point yesterday about the options for his team selection and that was related to the question about whether Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell would be paired together this week, as they have been on six occasions in the past two Ryder Cups.

He was keen to make it clear that if they are not paired together it will be purely for tactical reasons.

"I don't understand why there is such an interest in whether they should play together. They've won two out of six matches together. That's not a record that should be written in stone and that they should play together. I don't understand why the big fuss about it is.

"Having said that, two or three months ago, I would have had a view that they certainly would have played together. Now, although I'm not saying they are not going to play together, I'm looking at different options too."

The teams now face into a long week of press conferences and interviews ahead of the first shots of the fourballs at 7.35 on Friday morning.

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