Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley reflected on his moment of glory and declared: “I owe it all to the team.”

McGinley nursed a hangover yesterday after celebrating into the early hours with his Europe team mates.

He said: “It was a mixture of everything: adrenalin, anxiety, focus, concentration, just everything. But I couldn’t have done it if it hadn’t been for the team.

“The team were fantastic this week as well as Sam Torrance and Woosie (Ian Woosnam). I learned a lot form them and especially from the other players.”

Singled out as a weak link before the competition because of his poor form this season, McGinley proved his critics wrong with that putt.

He explained: “I was surprisingly well focussed and I knew the line. It was just a matter of hitting it on the line and fortunately I did.

“In the Benson and Hedges two years ago I had to hole the same putt to come second. It went in just on the left lip because I gave it too much break so I gave it a little less break this time and it went right in the middle.

“It was one of those sweet putts. Every golfer knows the feeling. It was like a bottle of champagne when the cork pops when it went right in the middle of the hole.

“The Irish history in the Ryder Cup has been just incredible and to have the opportunity to do it was incredible. So many things had to happen for me to do and ten to actually pull it off was incredible.

But McGinley was not worried about answering his critics.

“I had enough to worry about without thinking of that. I always knew that my game was coming around,” he said.

McGinley holed a putt of around eight feet to halve with Jim Furyk, and take Europe over the finishing line.

But he admitted that he wasn’t rattled after missing the 18th green with his second shot.

He said: “The second shot didn’t rattle me. It was a very difficult shot. The wind was into me off the right and I was hitting a three iron. I had 199 yards to the hole but I pulled it and it went on the wind.

“What rattled me was I had a very bad lie for my chip shot. It was sitting in a little hole. Fortunately I left it below the hole where I could have a decent run at the putt.”

Family man McGinley is due to become a father for the third time as his wife Alison is due to give birth in four weeks’ time.

“My wife was in a pretty bad way on Sunday morning after walking 36 holes on Saturday but she got a cart on Sunday and was able to watch the full 18 holes.

“Now it’s back to reality again. I’m playing in the dunhill this week and there will probably be two men and a dog watching us in the wind and rain.

“It’s going to be tough to come down off this high.”

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© Brian Keogh 2002

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