 | MCGINLEY PROFILE Age: 39 Country: Ireland Ryder Cup caps: 2 (2002 winners, 2004 w) Record: W2, H3, L1 Position qualified: 9th World ranking: 53 |
The diminutive Irishman has his place in history assured as the man who holed the winning putt in the 2002 Ryder Cup. McGinley, 39, makes his third appearance, and this being on home soil, he is likely to ride a massive wave of support throughout the week.
McGinley squeezed into the 2004 side with a burst of late top-10 finishes, including sixth at the USPGA.
And this year has been no different - he only made sure of his place during the last qualifying event in Germany.
McGinley kicked off the qualifying period with second place in last year's World Match Play at Wentworth, followed by victory in the Volvo Masters in Spain at the end of the 2005 season and looked almost certain of a place at the K Club.
But McGinley's Cup quest was hampered after he underwent mid-season surgery on an old knee injury, keeping him out for several weeks.
He also dropped points when he withdrew from August's USPGA to attend the funeral of Darren Clarke's wife Heather.
Did you know? McGinley was a promising Gaelic footballer until a broken left knee cap at 19 forced him to concentrate on golf.
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