WHISPER it, but Graeme McDowell admits he had brief doubts about Paul McGinley's Ryder Cup master plan.
He feels, however, that the Irishman has broken the mould for future European captains.
McDowell and French rookie Victor Dubuisson played so well in their foursomes victory over Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley that they expected to play again in the Saturday morning. But McGinley stuck with his plan just to play the unlikely duo in the alternate shot format and keep McDowell fresh to contest the first singles match, a plan which looked set to backfire as McDowell fell three down after six holes to Jordan Spieth.
"The first six holes I was doubting how much I had played and was a little undercooked," said McDowell. "I had not hit many iron shots because of the way it worked out in foursomes on that course. I hit about three iron shots on Friday and four on Saturday. It was crazy and I really didn't get the chance to hole many putts either."
Thankfully for Europe, McDowell found his form as 21-year-old rookie Spieth stumbled and the former US Open champion went on to record a vital 2&1 win.
"Paul has been the best captain I have played under," McDowell added. "For a guy who sits in front of 12 players whose [playing] careers will probably be better than his, the respect he commanded in the team room, the intelligence he spoke with, his message was so clear all week.
"I actually found myself listening to him thinking 'This guy is impressive. This guy is educated, this guy has really put a lot into what he's saying.' I thought we had a master plan this week that McGinley executed really well."
"He kind of breaks the mould from the point of view that he's not an eight-time Order of Merit champion, he's not a major champion, but that's really not what's necessary to be a great captain. You just have to get it, you have to get the man-management of 12 egos and players in a system, understand what everyone needs."
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