Paul McGinley, Ryder Cup Captain for Team Europe, is expected to unveil in Dublin on Thursday Sam Torrance and Des Smyth as his two key members of the backroom team.
Smyth has long been a mentor to McGinley. “Des chaperoned me for the first five years on Tour,” McGinley said. The 61-year-old played in two Ryder Cups and was Ian Woosnam’s assistant at the 2006 Ryder Cup in Ireland. McGinley is extremely close to his countryman; as he is to Torrance.
With September’s match taking place at Gleneagles, Torrance makes sense.
Torrance was McGinley’s first captain, in 2002 at the Belfry, and his brave tactics in stacking the top order of the singles with his best players made a huge impression on the Irishman.
McGinley holed the winning putt in the 15½-12½ victory but has always maintained that Torrance was the difference in the match and uses the example of his friend outwitting Curtis Strange as evidence that Ryder Cup captaincy does matter.
McGinley chose Torrance to captain Great Britain and Ireland against Continental Europe in last year’s Seve Trophy and although his side lost, McGinley was again impressed by the 60-year-old.
McGinley is still active on Tour and has made a concerted effort to get to know all of his potential players, so the age of his assistants does not seem as relevant as those of Tom Watson.
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