Interview with Ryder Cup legend Bernard Gallacher

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Bernard Gallacher (pictured) played on eight Ryder Cup teams between 1969 and 1983, and he captained the European teams of 1991, 93 and 95. Few men are better placed to give the lowdown on the great biennial, trans-Atlantic contest.

Here the ambassador for Golf Care, the UK’s leading golf insurance specialist, talks about the venue, the role of the captain and how both players and captains will be feeling going into the matches.

The venue

I think it’s great that the Ryder Cup is returning to Scotland – the home of golf. The event is probably not going to be in the UK now for quite a long time. It’s in France next time and four years after that there are seven countries that have expressed an interest for 2022 – Portugal, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Italy and Turkey.

And it’s great to showcase a different side of Scottish golf. It’s not all about the seaside here. We’ve got excellent courses inland and this layout at Gleneagles is proof of that. And then there’s the iconic hotel with its heritage and character. That’s all part of this Ryder Cup. The players can stay on site, the officials and the sponsors and everybody who goes along to make the Ryder Cup successful can also be on site.

The PGA Centenary course is a Jack Nicklaus design and a stadium-style track. It’s a type of layout the Americans will be familiar with. Nicklaus has made some excellent alterations to improve the playing characteristics – particularly the last hole which, as a long but reachable par-5, is a great match-play finish. The green surrounds have been changed and anything straying off-line could now leave a very difficult up-and-down. There could be some real drama here for matches that get that far.

The captain’s role

In the run up to the match, the captain will get in touch with each of the players, congratulate them and maybe even ask them who they might like to pair in the fourball or the foursomes.

The captain really has to try and keep the players relaxed, take the responsibility and the pressure away from them so they can focus on their games being as good as possible.

Matchplay over 18 holes is a real sprint and anything can happen, you often see upsets. The job of the captain is to keep the players calm and make sure they’re as ready for that sprint as they can be.

Foursomes, Fourballs and Singles

As the matches get underway, getting the pairings right is a crucial job for the captain. It’s important to recognise the differences between foursomes and fourball. In foursomes, when it’s alternate shot, you’re looking for steady pairings – players who keep the ball down the middle. Whereas, in fourball, where each man plays his own ball, you’re looking for Bubba Watson-style players who hit the ball miles and make a lot of birdies. Then you try to pair someone like that with a guy who makes a lot of pars.

When it comes to singles it’s about tactics and the ordering will be determined by the state of the matches at the close of play on Saturday. You might choose to put the best players out front if you’re looking to catch up, or a more even spread if things are tighter.

Keeping the team motivated

There were obvious pairings for me during my time as captain. Faldo and Montgomerie for instance and Seve played with Olazabal and then Bernard Langer. Well, Langer was (and is) such a versatile, solid, strong player that he could really play with anyone. He’s got a great foursomes game and he’s got a great fourball game.

Also, you have to remember that four players don’t play in each session; four have to sit it out. So the captain has to keep them alert. At the start of the week, I said to the team that everyone would play before the singles and I think that kept them on their toes. I wanted the players who weren’t playing to get on the course. I said, ‘your job, if you’re not playing in the morning, is to get out and support and get a good look at the conditions, pin positions and such because you may be playing in the afternoon.’

One of my strategies as captain was to make sure everybody played before the singles. I just felt that if players qualified for the team or they were picked to play for the team, they should play before the singles.

Playing versus Captaincy

When you’re playing in the Ryder Cup, you’re not nervous, apart from on the first tee. But once you’ve hit the first shot, once you’re in the match you’re not really nervous.

You’re much more nervous as a captain because you can’t really do anything. You feel a bit like a spectator. You’re just watching and you’re celebrating when the players hit good shots and you’re feeling the pain if they hit a poor shot or miss a putt. So I think the captain is much more nervous!

*To celebrate the Ryder Cup, Golf Care are offering a 30% discount so that’s an annual insurance policy for just £22.99 (visit  http://www.golfcare.co.uk/).

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