The key to understanding Europe's continued success in the Ryder Cup is that photo.
That's according to the BBC Sports Personality Awards coach of the year, Paul McGinley. It was a shirtless Rory McIlroy wearing an orange wig, arm in arm with a groggy looking Stevie Gallagher. It doesn't look like an image that evokes sporting success. But it does for McGinley.
The image perfectly reflects the team spirit within the European camp, in which a global superstar and a comparative journeyman bond brilliantly.
I love this image, there are two extremes. Without being unkind to Stevie, there are two extremes in our team room.
You have Rory McIlroy who is an absolute global superstar and everywhere he goes in the world he is instantly recognisable.
And Stevie Gallagher who is a local boy, never played in a Ryder Cup before this year, just turned 40 and at the age of 40 it is unusual to make your Ryder Cup debut in his hometown and local area. He had a great couple of years and made the team.
So you have the two extremes of the global superstar and the local hero and the body language, they are so comfortable in each other’s environment and the bottle of Budweiser in Stevie’s hand, they were having a good time. I think it was three in the morning when that was taken.
[Independent]
