With less than a year to go until the 2014 Ryder Cup skysports.com caught up with Team Europe captain Paul McGinley to find out about his preparations for the big event and how he's settling into his role.
skysports.com: Will you be spending a lot of time in America monitoring performances of European and American players on the PGA Tour?
McGinley: I'll certainly be monitoring the PGA Tour events closely over the next year; I'm covering five of the tournaments for
Sky Sports and I also hope to play one or two myself.
But I'm also keeping a close eye on the European Tour because I want the guys playing the European Tour to be very motivated and very aware that they're very much in my thoughts.
I know how good the standard is in the European Tour and you just have to look at the spectacular scoring last week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to see there's a lot of talent on this side of the Atlantic, too.
skysports.com: You've said how busy you've been over the past few months - how's the captaincy affecting your own game? And is it something you're going to remain focused on?
McGinley: Obviously my time in terms of practice at the moment is not what it was, that's for sure, but I'm taking my playing schedule very seriously over the next 12 months because I feel it's part of my duty to be competitive on tour.
For example, last week I played well, finished 20th, but also had the opportunity to play with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner David Howell, David Lynn and Joost Luiten, three guys who could potentially be in the team.
The big advantage of being competitive on tour is I can play a full 18 holes with these guys and observe them, as well as concentrate on my own game.
It won't be easy to maintain a high level with everything else going on - but, like all the other challenges coming up in the next 12 months, I'm ready to take it on!
