Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley is one of the saddest men in golf this weekend.

As millions of armchair golf fans get ready to glue themselves to the Masters coverage from Augusta, McGinley will be trying hard not to watch.

Having dropped out of the top 50 in the world he is no longer invited to the big events.

Twelve months ago he was on cloud nine as he drank in the atmosphere on his Masters debut and planned for great things ahead.

"That was a big breakthrough for me. To come to the Masters for the first time, into a golf course that you're not familiar with, with game not as good as I wanted it to be, and then to perform really well gave me tremendous satisfaction," he said

But while the 36 year old Dubliner did sink the winning putt in the Ryder Cup last September, little else went right for him last year.

Despite being well below his best form he played in all four rounds at Augusta but missed an automatic invitation to return this year when finished one shot outside the top 16.

"At the time, it wasn't a big deal because I thought I would still be in the top 50 in the world," he confessed. "You never know, do you?"

On his return to Europe McGinley helped Great Britain and Ireland to the Seve Trophy at Druids Glen and then won in the Irish Professional Championship at Westport.

But he soon began to show signs of an alarming slump in form and eventually plummeted from 29th to 135th in the World Rankings by the end of the year.

Now back to 106th, he's preparing to claw his way back to the top by sheer graft and determination.

"It's a shame to miss the Masters," he groaned. "It's all a result of dropping out of the top 50 in the world but I'm working very hard to get back there again.

"I'm doing a lot of practice here in Portugal, the family is with me and I'm having a little bit of a break. I missed exemption for the Masters this year by a shot but I suppose I'll watch bits of it on TV - I won't be watching it endlessly. I'll take an interest but it's tough to take when you have been there and expected to get back."

McGinley is more worried about getting results in the season ahead although his next event in Europe doesn't come until the Canarias Open de España in two weeks time - a five-week lay-off since he played in the Qatar Masters in March.

He confessed: "I played well enough in the four tournaments I've played this year but when you are not in the top 50 in the world it's a pretty poor schedule."

Despite missing the cut in the Asian Open before Christmas he has finished 18th in the Johnnie Walker Classic, 17th in the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, 47th in the Dubai Desert Classic and third in Qatar.

Now McGinley is determined to get his game back to the levels of 2001, when he had 12 top ten finishes including one win and claimed eighth place in the Order of Merit as well as a Ryder Cup spot.

"You have to really be in the top 50 if you want to play all the big tournaments and it's a bit stop and start for me now. It's all about playing well and that's what I'm focusing on.

"I've been working hard at it with Bob Torrance in Scotland over the winter. I was with Bob for about five years at the start of my career and it's back to basics for me. My hands and arms started to dominate my swing and I have got back to where I am using my bigger muscles again."

McGinley has no doubt that he can get back to where he was and re-live the glories of the Ryder Cup and the Masters in 2004.

He insisted: "Yes, I'd like to think I can get back in that position. I'm not happy finishing 20th or 30th in the Order of Merit in Europe so that's what the whole focus is - to get back in the top 50 in the world.

"But I deserve to be where I am because I had a poor season relatively speaking last year from the Ryder Cup. The ball is in my court and there is no point in complaining.

"I want to focus on Europe and get my ranking back up. Last year was a big learning curve. I played a lot in America early last season and without that experience I wouldn't have had as successful a Ryder Cup as I did.

"There's no question that stood to me in the end, but at a cost of losing world ranking points. But I knew at the start of the year that's the way it would be and I have to get on with it."

McGinley now has the greatest motivation any golfer could have - the desire to get back to the level need to play in the Ryder Cup and the four Majors.

"That's where it's at. That's where all the excitement is and once you have had a taste for it you want to get back to it. It was brilliant to have the opportunity to sink the winning putt in the Ryder Cup. Not only was it brilliant to have the opportunity, but it was brilliant to go ahead and do it.

"Last year I had a disappointing year personally, but no way can I look back on the year and be disappointed. Doing what I did in the Ryder Cup gave me an identity as a player. I stood up to the highest pressure and managed to come through it. I'm already looking forward to the Ryder Cup in Detroit in 2004. Once you get a taste of what it is about, you just want more of it."

McGinley has certainly come a long way since he turned professional in 1992 but he will have to rely far more on the fighting qualities that got him to the top.

He said: "I think I actually get more satisfaction when you have to fight like hell, when it's just not going for you and when the bounces are not going your way.

"One of the great things about this game is learning to relish the challenge of playing badly, because you're not going to play well every week."

Now McGinley is facing the greatest battle of all - the fight to reclaim his place among the greats.

(Pros)
The door to PGA events been wedged open for Ireland's struggling tour pros.

Non-PGA members will get a chance to play more local events, thanks to a change in PGA rules.

In the past, only PGA members or the holders of full European Tour cards were entitled to play in Irish PGA events.

It meant that new pros or players with Challenge Tour, Senior Tour or Ladies European Tour status were left out in the cold.

Now all players can enter PGA events for professionals only thanks to the creation of a new category.

The catch is that they can only play in pro-ams if they receive a sponsor's invitation and cannot take part in the Irish Club Pro Tournament or the Ad Golf Series.

The will also have to apply for membership of the PGA.

(Damian)
Damian Mooney looks likes the man to beat on the home circuit after his six-shot win in the ¤15,000 Great Northern Hotel Pro-Am tournament at Bundoran.

The Laganview professional finished on eight under par as Headfort's Brendan McGovern took the runner-up spot on two under.

(Sherry)
Ireland finished third in the Sherry Cup in Spain last weekend.

The team of Noel Fox, Justin Kehoe, Colm Moriarty and Andrew McCormick finished just behind Spain with England taking the title.

(Ladies)
Ireland is sending a five-strong team to the Helen Holm Scottish Ladies' Open Stroke Play Championship at Royal Troon from 26-27 April.

Claire Coughlan, Sinead Keane, Darragh McGowan, Tricia Mangan and Deirdre Smith will wear the green.

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© Brian Keogh 2003

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