McGinley calls for end to player "disharmony" over Ryder Cup
Sky Sports pundit and European Tour board member, Paul McGinley
Paul McGinley has called on the top players to form a united front and back the PGA of America and the European Tour in their efforts to stage the Ryder Cup in September.
Europe's 2014 skipper believes the announcement by the Memorial Tournament that it will allow 8,000 fans to attend its event at Muirfield Village from July 16 - 19 is a clear sign that the Ryder Cup could be staged with reduced crowds at Whistling Straits from September 25-27.
"Personally, I hope it's going to be played and there's some kind of understanding where we all get united rather than the players having on view and Ryder Cup committees having another view," McGinley said during Sky Sports' coverage of the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday.
"It's important that we are united. We have always been united in Europe, and it's important we don't have disharmony.
"I hope we can get to a place where everyone is united and we can get to a place where we can have a Ryder Cup because I think the players will enjoy it, I think the fans will enjoy it, particularly the fans at home will enjoy it. In difficult times, putting on professional sport, we have a duty to people."
McGinley also believes that European captain Pádraig Harrington could opt to increase his wildcards from three to four after his US counterpart Steve Stricker announced his revised selection criteria last week with his wildcards increasing from four to six.
"Everyone is united in that a Ryder Cup without crowds is going to be a very difficult thing to do," added McGinley, who is a member of the European Tour board. "The big shift this week is the announcement that the Memorial Tournament in about five weeks' time is going to have 8,000 fans there.
“I think there has been a shift in the last couple of weeks to the Ryder Cup probably not being played, to much more likely now.”
“I think that's the start of crowds starting to come back and bearing in mind the Ryder Cup is not until September, if we get to the stage where we can play with half the crowds we normally have, I think there's a good chance it could be played under those circumstances.
Seismic shift
"That's a seismic shift, and that's why the PGA of America and the European Tour have been saying, let's wait, let's not rush into anything. A lot of the players have been calling to cancel it a month or two ago, and the reason why the authorities didn't want to do that is that hopefully, coming out of lockdown, things will start to open up a bit. I think there has been a shift in the last couple of weeks to the Ryder Cup probably not being played, to much more likely now."
Rory McIlroy said in April that "a Ryder Cup without fans is not a Ryder Cup and added last month that he cannit see it being played.
Rory McIlroy drives from the 14th tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 12, 2020 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
"My personal hunch is that I don't see how it is going to happen, so I do not think that it will happen," the world No 1 said.
"I think the majority of players would like to see it pushed back until 2021 so that they can play in front of crowds and have the atmosphere that makes the Ryder Cup so special.
"The players are the ones that make the Ryder Cup. If they are not on board with it and don't want to play, then there is no Ryder Cup."
US star Brooks Koepka said: "I personally don't want to play if there's no fans. I don't see a point in playing it."
But McGinley sees the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions in many US states as a ray of hope for the Ryder Cup and he's calling on players such as McIlroy to get behind the administrators.
As for the European qualifying criteria — there are no European Tour events until the end of July — he sees Harrington increasing his captain's picks.
Four picks
"It's an obvious thing to do. These are difficult times, challenging times if you are the captain. Steve has given himself a little bit of leeway, and I think you will find that Pádraig Harrington, in time, will react and move his picks from three to four or five and in terms of qualification, create some sort of algorithm to give other people a fair crack of the whip in terms of making the team.
"I think he will probably go with four picks. I am just hazarding a guess there. I don't know. I presume he is going to extend his number of picks. I know he is very keen on qualification and a great believer in rushing to a line and not playing under the pressure of getting a wildcard.
"In terms of the quality of our team, I believe in France that was the best team we've ever fielded, and it showed with the result. I think that this year, we'll have just as good if not, a better team. I also believe the golf course, Whistling Straits on the shores of Lake Michigan, is a European style golf course where Europeans have played well in the past.
"Martin Kaymer won a PGA around there. McIlroy has performed really well around there and will feel comfortable on that kind of golf course.
"Playing away from home is a mammoth task, it's never going to be easy. But I think we are going to have a fair crack of the whip, should it be played."
