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coming from a small provincial club | 0:00:00 | 0:00:00 | |
In five days' time, this is the place to be - | 0:00:30 | 0:00:33 | |
the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles - | 0:00:33 | 0:00:35 | |
for something pretty special - | 0:00:35 | 0:00:37 | |
the 40th Ryder Cup - Europe versus the United States - | 0:00:37 | 0:00:40 | |
is about to begin. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:41 | |
# And the story goes on | 0:00:41 | 0:00:47 | |
# On... | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
# On... | 0:00:51 | 0:00:56 | |
# This is the story | 0:00:56 | 0:00:58 | |
# Fate is coming, that I know This is the story | 0:00:58 | 0:01:02 | |
# Time is running, got to go This is the story | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
# Fate is coming, that I know This is the story | 0:01:05 | 0:01:09 | |
# Let it go | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
# Fate is coming, that I know... # | 0:01:12 | 0:01:15 | |
'Oh, that is unbelievable.' | 0:01:18 | 0:01:20 | |
Coming up in the next 30 minutes, | 0:01:22 | 0:01:24 | |
we'll look ahead to one of the biggest sporting events | 0:01:24 | 0:01:28 | |
ever to take place in Scotland. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
We'll hear from the Bathgate rookie representing Team Europe | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
as well as from both captains, | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
I go behind the scenes at Gleneagles to see how the course is shaping up, | 0:01:35 | 0:01:39 | |
Scotland's top golf writers discuss the key players, | 0:01:39 | 0:01:43 | |
and two golfing greats reminisce | 0:01:43 | 0:01:46 | |
about their own Ryder Cup experiences. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
But first - it's been a hectic few weeks for Stephen Gallacher. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:54 | |
The best season of his career brought him | 0:01:54 | 0:01:56 | |
to the brink of Ryder cup qualification, | 0:01:56 | 0:01:59 | |
only to fall one birdie short in the last qualifying event. | 0:01:59 | 0:02:02 | |
But that was enough to impress Paul McGinley, | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
who selected him as one of his three wildcards. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:07 | |
It's been a rollercoaster year, really, | 0:02:07 | 0:02:10 | |
to come so close and then to wait | 0:02:10 | 0:02:12 | |
on the end of the phone | 0:02:12 | 0:02:13 | |
for Captain McGinley phoning me | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
was just something that fulfilled my lifelong dream. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:19 | |
I've known Paul all my days. | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
We've worked with Bob Torrance, you know, | 0:02:21 | 0:02:23 | |
and I know him personally, | 0:02:23 | 0:02:26 | |
and just to hear his words say that was just fantastic, really. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:30 | |
We all knew Stevie could play well. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:32 | |
It was playing well when he really needed to. | 0:02:32 | 0:02:34 | |
He'd shown that in Dubai | 0:02:34 | 0:02:36 | |
when he won against a very strong field, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
but to do it in the last counting event for the Ryder Cup | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
that probably will be the only...could be the only Ryder Cup | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
that will ever be in his country during his career, | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
to know what was at stake | 0:02:48 | 0:02:50 | |
and to perform when he really needed to, | 0:02:50 | 0:02:52 | |
psychologically, he has the mental fortitude | 0:02:52 | 0:02:55 | |
to rise to a new level when it was really required. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
As a member of Bathgate Golf Club, | 0:02:58 | 0:03:00 | |
Stephen Gallacher's affinity with the Ryder Cup goes back a long way. | 0:03:00 | 0:03:04 | |
My uncle, obviously, he played in vice captain two and captain three, | 0:03:04 | 0:03:08 | |
and Eric Brown, he played in it and captained it as well, | 0:03:08 | 0:03:11 | |
coming from Bathgate, | 0:03:11 | 0:03:13 | |
so it's an honour, really, for me to be in amongst those two guys, | 0:03:13 | 0:03:17 | |
coming from a small provincial club | 0:03:17 | 0:03:19 | |
and to get the Ryder Cup in the family, with my uncle as well, | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
has made it even more special. | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
I think he feels that, you know, | 0:03:25 | 0:03:27 | |
he belongs playing in these fields. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:29 | |
That's what it showed at the Open this year at Hoylake. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:32 | |
He wasn't intimidated by the rest of the play, | 0:03:32 | 0:03:35 | |
he feels he's got as good a game as anybody, | 0:03:35 | 0:03:37 | |
he hits it as far as anybody, he hits it as straight as anybody. | 0:03:37 | 0:03:40 | |
What does it mean to you to be in this Ryder Cup team? | 0:03:40 | 0:03:44 | |
Well, it's been my lifetime goal all my days | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
so 39, turning 40 next month, | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
and, you know, to do it in Scotland, | 0:03:50 | 0:03:52 | |
especially when the last time it was here was 40 years ago, | 0:03:52 | 0:03:55 | |
has made it even more special, | 0:03:55 | 0:03:57 | |
so I made a conscious effort two years ago | 0:03:57 | 0:03:59 | |
to try and get in it and to finally get in it has just been overwhelming. | 0:03:59 | 0:04:03 | |
It's something he'll remember the rest of his life. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:05 | |
I was lucky to play the Ryder Cup in the K Club in 2006 | 0:04:05 | 0:04:08 | |
in my home country | 0:04:08 | 0:04:09 | |
and, wow, what an experience that is, as an Irishman, | 0:04:09 | 0:04:11 | |
getting welcomed onto the first tee as an Irishman, | 0:04:11 | 0:04:14 | |
very emotional experience, and it'll be the same for Stevie. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:16 | |
You're one of the guys that knows this course | 0:04:16 | 0:04:19 | |
in Gleneagles as well as anyone. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:21 | |
What kind of venue do you think it'll be next week? | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
I think the venue will be brilliant. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:26 | |
It's a stadium course | 0:04:26 | 0:04:27 | |
so the fans are going to be right down each hole. | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
The course is in immaculate condition. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
We've had perfect weather. It's in great nick. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:35 | |
You know, there are few run-offs roundabout the greens. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:38 | |
It's going to be a great week. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:39 | |
Do you have any advantage, knowing the course so well? | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
People always say that you know it better than anyone. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:45 | |
I don't think so. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:46 | |
I think these guys, you know, they turn up for a new course | 0:04:46 | 0:04:49 | |
on a Tuesday, play their round and they're ready, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:51 | |
but the good thing for me is I've got a lot of good memories | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
round it and have hit a lot of good shots | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
that I can try and pull on through the week. | 0:04:56 | 0:04:59 | |
The record books show that the USA lost the last two Ryder Cups, | 0:05:04 | 0:05:08 | |
but that doesn't tell the full story. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
Losing by the smallest possible margin on both occasions, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
it took all of Graeme McDowell's resilience | 0:05:14 | 0:05:17 | |
to deny them at Celtic Manor. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:19 | |
And after two days of American brilliance at Medinah, | 0:05:20 | 0:05:23 | |
it took one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time | 0:05:23 | 0:05:27 | |
to thwart them. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:28 | |
Captain Tom Watson wants his team to draw on those experiences. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:33 | |
I always felt in my career that after a setback | 0:05:33 | 0:05:37 | |
I always rebounded and played better golf after a setback. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:41 | |
It made me charge myself | 0:05:41 | 0:05:43 | |
with getting back to square one or getting even | 0:05:43 | 0:05:47 | |
or getting even better results, | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
and I'm going to charge the team with the same thing. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:53 | |
I said, "You remember Medinah, | 0:05:53 | 0:05:55 | |
"you remember the feelings you had after Medinah - use that." | 0:05:55 | 0:05:59 | |
Watson has captained before - at the Belfry in 1993 - | 0:05:59 | 0:06:04 | |
the last time the Americans won on foreign soil. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:07 | |
For that to happen again, he needs leaders out on the course. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:12 | |
Somebody took charge at the '93 Ryder Cup in the name of Payne Stewart. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:16 | |
He was the go-to guy. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:18 | |
He was the guy that kept everybody pumped up | 0:06:18 | 0:06:21 | |
and in the right spirit, | 0:06:21 | 0:06:23 | |
and I'm there to do a couple of things, | 0:06:23 | 0:06:25 | |
and the first thing I must do is pick the three players | 0:06:25 | 0:06:29 | |
and the second thing I must do is create the teams | 0:06:29 | 0:06:32 | |
in the order in which the teams play. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:34 | |
'The champion!' | 0:06:34 | 0:06:36 | |
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE | 0:06:36 | 0:06:38 | |
European golfers have certainly | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
played great in the major championships, | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
you look at what they've done, and it's been impressive, | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
Rory certainly coming back after a real bad spell in his game. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:50 | |
That shows me some character right there. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:53 | |
Justin Rose, maybe winning his match at the Ryder Cup | 0:06:53 | 0:06:56 | |
has inspired him. | 0:06:56 | 0:06:58 | |
Sometimes that's what happens. | 0:06:58 | 0:07:01 | |
All you need is that little boost in your career | 0:07:01 | 0:07:04 | |
and it pushes you over the hump and gives you the confidence | 0:07:04 | 0:07:07 | |
that, yeah, I can do it, | 0:07:07 | 0:07:08 | |
I can get this done when the chips are down. | 0:07:08 | 0:07:10 | |
With four of his five Open wins coming in Scotland, | 0:07:10 | 0:07:14 | |
Watson is loved by Scottish golf fans... | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
but that's something he feels will count for little | 0:07:17 | 0:07:21 | |
in the white heat of the Ryder Cup. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:23 | |
There's nothing that will convince me that... | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
when the gun goes off on Friday | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
that the Scottish fans, the English, the European fans will be | 0:07:30 | 0:07:34 | |
pulling for their team, as it should be. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:37 | |
It's a very partisan event | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
and it's a wonderful event from that standpoint. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:42 | |
We're playing as a team, | 0:07:42 | 0:07:44 | |
the two teams facing each other, as it always has been. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:47 | |
'Watson from the rough on the right-hand side | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
'of the 15th green. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:52 | |
'It's good, it's good. It's very good!' | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
I've had a series of wonderful experiences in Scotland, | 0:07:57 | 0:08:01 | |
meeting some of the most wonderful people. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:04 | |
There are people who love the game of golf | 0:08:04 | 0:08:06 | |
and it gets back to the fabric of golf in Scotland. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:09 | |
I don't think any country in the world | 0:08:09 | 0:08:12 | |
has it deeply sewn in their fabric as Scotland does. | 0:08:12 | 0:08:15 | |
Watson's opposite number is European Captain Paul McGinley. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:21 | |
For the Irishman, who played in it three times, | 0:08:21 | 0:08:24 | |
the Ryder Cup provided the greatest moment of his career. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:28 | |
Playing as a rookie at the Belfry in 2002, | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
he sank the winning putt. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
I think it's about playing for your people, | 0:08:33 | 0:08:35 | |
playing for the country you're from, representing your people, | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
representing Europe - in the American case, representing America. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
This is not about money. The players don't get paid next week. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:44 | |
It's about engaging with the players, engaging with the crowd, | 0:08:44 | 0:08:48 | |
engaging with each other, bonding with each other, | 0:08:48 | 0:08:50 | |
all of the good things in life that we all enjoy. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:52 | |
CROWD CHANTS | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
Are you expecting Gleneagles to be a noisy, passionate environment? | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
Yeah, of course we are. I think it's a very passionate event. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
You see people there getting so excited, | 0:09:05 | 0:09:08 | |
the crowd getting so excited. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:09 | |
Just like a soccer team playing at home, | 0:09:09 | 0:09:11 | |
there's a big advantage, | 0:09:11 | 0:09:13 | |
and the noise can certainly elevate you to a new level | 0:09:13 | 0:09:15 | |
so I know it'll have an influence on the players, | 0:09:15 | 0:09:18 | |
but we all know there's a line. The Scottish crowd know that very well | 0:09:18 | 0:09:21 | |
and they're very respectful of the Americans. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:23 | |
Just about everybody I meet tells me Europe are the favourites | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
for this Ryder Cup. Ought we be? | 0:09:26 | 0:09:28 | |
The bookies are giving us slight favourites. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:30 | |
But not huge favourites. Slight favourites. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:32 | |
What's an interesting statistic behind the scenes | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
is if you take our 12 players and their 12 players, | 0:09:34 | 0:09:36 | |
line them up, take all of the world ranking positions | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
and get a mean average on each of them, | 0:09:39 | 0:09:41 | |
their mean average is 16 and ours is 18, | 0:09:41 | 0:09:43 | |
so this shows this is not a weak American team, | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
this is not an American team that we will underestimate. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
We know we're going to have to play very well. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:50 | |
It's a very strong American team. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:52 | |
I know what a Ryder Cup captain CAN do, | 0:09:52 | 0:09:55 | |
what CAN'T a Ryder Cup captain do? | 0:09:55 | 0:09:57 | |
Hit the shots. | 0:09:57 | 0:09:59 | |
You'll find that once the gun goes off and that first round | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
takes off on the Friday morning, that I'll be standing in the background. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:08 | |
My job then is to go... | 0:10:08 | 0:10:09 | |
Not to be running around the fairways telling the players | 0:10:09 | 0:10:11 | |
how to hit their shots, what to do, what not to do. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:13 | |
At that stage, I trust them and I trust their caddies | 0:10:13 | 0:10:16 | |
to go ahead and do the job that they're obviously very good at | 0:10:16 | 0:10:18 | |
in order to qualify for the team. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:20 | |
Before big football fixtures, | 0:10:20 | 0:10:22 | |
we sometimes see this public game of psychology between rival managers. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
We're used to this. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:27 | |
Do you and Tom Watson have any use for this | 0:10:27 | 0:10:29 | |
kind of thing in the build-up to the Ryder Cup? | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
I'm so concerned with getting our ducks in a row and preparing our team | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
well for what's going to be a very difficult task that | 0:10:35 | 0:10:37 | |
I don't have time for mind games. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
And I'm not clever enough to be able to think this way and also | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
think over there, what on could do to maybe upset the Americans. | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
No, I'm playing this a very straight bat. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:46 | |
I know Tom Watson will do that too. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:48 | |
He's known for his integrity in the game. I've enjoyed his company. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
I've learned a lot from being around him - | 0:10:51 | 0:10:53 | |
watching him and observing him and what he does. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:55 | |
He's a man of great integrity. | 0:10:55 | 0:10:56 | |
He's a man who's got a great affinity with the people of Scotland. | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
I know they will treat him with great respect when he comes over. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:02 | |
But, ultimately, they're on our side. | 0:11:02 | 0:11:03 | |
We are playing against the might of America in this Ryder Cup. | 0:11:03 | 0:11:07 | |
We're going to have to pull out all the stops | 0:11:07 | 0:11:09 | |
if we're going to win this Ryder Cup. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:10 | |
The circus is about to unfold at Gleneagles. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:12 | |
How much of this is fun for you? | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
How much of it is draining and exhausting? | 0:11:14 | 0:11:19 | |
None of it's exhausting, to be honest. It's a real honour. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
When your peers put you in as Ryder Cup captain, the player's committee | 0:11:22 | 0:11:26 | |
and European Tour, it's a very humbling and honoured place to be in. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:30 | |
The players were very vociferous in their support of me | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
to be the captain. I feel duty bound. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:37 | |
I feel a gravity and a bonding towards them to repay that | 0:11:37 | 0:11:39 | |
and do the best job that I can do off the course in order for them | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
to do a good job on the course. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:44 | |
It's a stunning venue here at Gleneagles for a golf tournament | 0:11:45 | 0:11:48 | |
that rarely fails to deliver, none more so than two years at Medina. | 0:11:48 | 0:11:53 | |
MUSIC: Anything Can Happen by Ellie Goulding | 0:11:55 | 0:11:57 | |
It was pretty frustrating for the European team, the first two days. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
Again, I think you've got to hold your hands up. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
The American boys played better than we did. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:18 | |
They certainly holed more putts than we did. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
At the end of the day, that's what you've got to do. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
You've got to get the ball in the hole. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:24 | |
The crowd were on their side, as you'd expect. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:27 | |
I think it was pretty frustrating for everyone. | 0:12:27 | 0:12:29 | |
On a personal level, I'd played OK the first two days and got no points. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:33 | |
I putted particularly poorly. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:34 | |
Nicolas Colsaerts were inside the American boys pretty much all day, | 0:12:34 | 0:12:38 | |
and lost 1-down. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:39 | |
Peter Hanson and I came up against a partnership that | 0:12:39 | 0:12:43 | |
were -12 for 14 holes. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:44 | |
COMMENTATOR: What a putt from Poulter! | 0:12:47 | 0:12:49 | |
COMMENTATOR: Poulter is a prince for Europe. | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
Poulter and Rory turned it round and they won a point. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:00 | |
So did two other guys. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:01 | |
To be fair, the team room on the Saturday night, | 0:13:01 | 0:13:03 | |
you'd think that we were ahead. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
A lot of the players I've read have talked about that. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:07 | |
Poulter talks about it a lot. We were pretty upbeat. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:10 | |
We were pretty happy, to be fair, | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
to only be 10-6. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:14 | |
It could have been 12-4. 12-4, you're dead. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:16 | |
There's no way you're coming back from 12-4. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:18 | |
Jose made that point. He felt... He's a very emotional guy. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:22 | |
I've never cried so much as an adult as I did that week. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
He has you in tears all the time. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:28 | |
But you want that. You want someone who really, really wants to win. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:31 | |
The players wanted him to be a winning captain. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
No player wanted him to be a losing Ryder Cup Captain, | 0:13:33 | 0:13:35 | |
with what it's meant to him. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
I hit a beautiful chip. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:49 | |
It just came out the way I wanted it to, | 0:13:49 | 0:13:51 | |
and it rolled down the hill and went right in the middle. | 0:13:51 | 0:13:53 | |
Then I eagled the next. | 0:13:53 | 0:13:54 | |
I hit a nice 5-iron at the next to about 15 feet and holed it. | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
I played lovely. I was -6 for 15 holes. | 0:13:57 | 0:14:00 | |
I played beautiful golf. Best golf I played all year, to be fair. | 0:14:00 | 0:14:03 | |
Sol when you have to produce that and you do, | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
that's one of the most satisfying 15 holes of my career. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:08 | |
Justin Rose, I mean, how he won that game... | 0:14:21 | 0:14:23 | |
I've watched it so many times | 0:14:23 | 0:14:25 | |
and there's no way he should beat Mickelson on that day, but he did. | 0:14:25 | 0:14:28 | |
Martin's pretty good under pressure. He's pretty cool, pretty calm. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:40 | |
Doesn't get excited very often. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:42 | |
We were reasonably confident that he would knock it in. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:45 | |
But it was nerve-racking, obviously. | 0:14:45 | 0:14:47 | |
What a comeback from Europe! | 0:14:49 | 0:14:50 | |
When Kaymer's putt went in, | 0:14:52 | 0:14:54 | |
the relief you could see on Oli's face when it went in. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:56 | |
The relief was just incredible. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:58 | |
I could do with a beer. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
I'm not a big drinker, but obviously the party was good fun. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:07 | |
It went on a rather long time. I don't think anyone went to bed. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:11 | |
A lot of the boys were obviously... | 0:15:11 | 0:15:13 | |
Seve was in our thoughts a lot for the week. | 0:15:13 | 0:15:14 | |
He was on the shirt the final day, he was on the golf bag all week. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
Him and Oli were obviously very close, had a great partnership. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:21 | |
So I'm sure Seve was looking down and quite enjoying | 0:15:21 | 0:15:24 | |
what was happening on the Sunday. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:26 | |
This will be the just the second time the Ryder Cup | 0:15:28 | 0:15:30 | |
has been played on Scottish soil. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:32 | |
In 1973, Muirfield played host to a strong American team | 0:15:32 | 0:15:36 | |
featuring Nicklaus, Palmer and Trevino. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
The British and Irish side contained two Scots - | 0:15:40 | 0:15:43 | |
Brian Barnes and Bernard Gallacher, | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
as well as two-time major winner Tony Jacklin. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:48 | |
In a close contest the home side built up an early lead, | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
but couldn't hold on | 0:15:52 | 0:15:54 | |
and the USA eventually won by 19 points to 13. | 0:15:54 | 0:15:58 | |
But Scotland's ties to the tournament go back | 0:15:58 | 0:16:00 | |
a lot further than that. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:01 | |
This is a fascinating freeze here inside Gleneagles Hotel | 0:16:01 | 0:16:05 | |
depicting the story of golf played at this resort. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:09 | |
What is really interesting is an international match | 0:16:09 | 0:16:12 | |
played in 1921 | 0:16:12 | 0:16:13 | |
between British professionals and American professionals. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:17 | |
It's regarded as the precursor to the Ryder Cup as we know it today. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:23 | |
It was an informal friendly match that planted | 0:16:23 | 0:16:26 | |
a seed for transatlantic combat. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
The British team won 9-3. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:30 | |
Gleneagles Hotel hadn't been completed yet, | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
so they had a few drinks down in Auchterarder that night. | 0:16:33 | 0:16:36 | |
As many of us do when we have great golfing days, | 0:16:36 | 0:16:38 | |
they talked about doing it against some day. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:40 | |
On the British team, you had James Braid, the course designer, | 0:16:41 | 0:16:45 | |
you had Harry Vardon, JH Taylor. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:49 | |
I think between the British team who played in 1921, there was | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
20 major championships between them. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:54 | |
I think the origins of professional golf | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
between America and Great Britain started here. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:02 | |
The Gleneagles Hotel was opened in 1924. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:05 | |
This is their 90th anniversary year. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:06 | |
But things were a little bit different in 1921. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:09 | |
The Americans were given a fine, hospitable welcome of five | 0:17:09 | 0:17:12 | |
Watlass railway carriages on a siding at Auchtermuchty. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
So a little bit different to the Ryder Cup of today, shall we say? | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
They certainly didn't have the most glamorous accommodation, | 0:17:22 | 0:17:25 | |
but when they came to the King's and saw the course before them, | 0:17:25 | 0:17:28 | |
they swiftly forgot about their accommodation. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:31 | |
Do you know what? You don't need to worry about the players | 0:17:31 | 0:17:33 | |
during arduous Ryder Cup week. | 0:17:33 | 0:17:35 | |
Many of them will be billeted here at the luxurious, | 0:17:35 | 0:17:38 | |
sumptuous five-star Gleneagles Hotel. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:40 | |
One of the greatest hotels in the world. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:42 | |
But it's not just the fact of the hotel that makes Gleneagles | 0:17:42 | 0:17:46 | |
an important Ryder Cup venue. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:47 | |
A whole infrastructure has had to be put in place to make sure | 0:17:47 | 0:17:51 | |
these 2014 matches are a success. | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
I mean, it's a huge project. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:55 | |
By the time the Ryder Cup comes, | 0:17:55 | 0:17:56 | |
there'll be over 7,000 working staff working on the project. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:59 | |
Over 250,000 people are expected during the week of the Ryder Cup. | 0:17:59 | 0:18:02 | |
We're almost creating a little mini village here. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:04 | |
It's taken the best part of three months to create | 0:18:04 | 0:18:06 | |
and it will take two months to take down. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:09 | |
What makes it so special, the Ryder Cup, is the atmosphere here on site. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
When that first ball is struck on the first day on the first tee, | 0:18:12 | 0:18:15 | |
everyone wants to be there. It is a special place to be. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:17 | |
We've created a wonderful amphitheatre | 0:18:17 | 0:18:19 | |
for the spectators to enjoy. | 0:18:19 | 0:18:21 | |
So in order find the key to making birdies on the PGA Centenary, | 0:18:21 | 0:18:25 | |
I headed out on to the course for some much needed tips | 0:18:25 | 0:18:29 | |
in the company of Gleneagles head professional Andrew Jowett. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:33 | |
I think the main key is accuracy off the tee. | 0:18:33 | 0:18:37 | |
A lot of the time if you can be playing from the short grass, | 0:18:37 | 0:18:39 | |
that's going to give you a big advantage in feeling comfortable | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
with those approach shots. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
Some of the rough can be quite penal, | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
so, yeah, you really want to be making sure | 0:18:46 | 0:18:48 | |
that you're finding the short grass off the tee. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:50 | |
That gives you the opportunity to capitalise with those approach shots. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:53 | |
Right, Andrew, we're on the 18th tee. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
It seems to me a great, closing theatrical hole for the spectators. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:02 | |
It's a really exciting, reachable par-5. | 0:19:02 | 0:19:04 | |
Very much risk and reward. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:06 | |
If you don't find the fairway, that rough is pretty penal out there, | 0:19:06 | 0:19:09 | |
so you're not going to have the opportunity | 0:19:09 | 0:19:11 | |
to reach the green in two. Then, from there, for those top players, | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
they're going to have anything from maybe a hybrid | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
to a long iron into the green. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:19 | |
The green is an exceptionally small target. Very narrow. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:23 | |
Very long front-to-back, | 0:19:23 | 0:19:24 | |
so it can make a big difference in what club you're choosing to hit. | 0:19:24 | 0:19:27 | |
Depending on how difficult they want to make the pin position, | 0:19:27 | 0:19:30 | |
there's plenty of options for them there. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
Get in. Get in! Get in! Ahhh, too good for me. | 0:19:34 | 0:19:37 | |
Have you had any of the top guys coming to you for tips? | 0:19:37 | 0:19:40 | |
Obviously, Paul McGinley's well renowned for being | 0:19:40 | 0:19:43 | |
very comprehensive in his planning. Have you chatted to him? | 0:19:43 | 0:19:47 | |
I've been fortunate enough to be in a couple of meetings with him. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:50 | |
I'm sure he'll keep his cards relatively close to his chest | 0:19:50 | 0:19:53 | |
until the teams are finalised, but I would have thought that | 0:19:53 | 0:19:56 | |
the golf course, from a set-up point of view, will be very similar | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
to how it is in the Johnnie Walker Championships. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:02 | |
Having played the course, I can testify | 0:20:02 | 0:20:05 | |
just how good the condition is, but the great unknown in Scotland, | 0:20:05 | 0:20:09 | |
as always, is the weather. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:12 | |
The staff at Gleneagles have done all they can to prepare. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:15 | |
We've installed an awful lot of drainage. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:18 | |
We've been doing a lot of work with the upper profiles | 0:20:18 | 0:20:20 | |
and with a lot of sand top dressings, the fairways. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
We've installed 41km of land drainage | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
underneath the golf course since its original construction. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
We've installed a sub-air system into the greens, | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
so we're pretty comfortable with the golf course's ability to cope | 0:20:33 | 0:20:38 | |
with sensible amounts of rainfall. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:41 | |
Is the climate and the weather conditions in the days | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
building up to the competition itself a concern for you, | 0:20:44 | 0:20:47 | |
in terms of what it might do to the surface? | 0:20:47 | 0:20:51 | |
To a degree. I mean, the weather here in central Scotland, | 0:20:51 | 0:20:53 | |
we could play the Ryder Cup here in July | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
and have issues with the weather, potentially. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:59 | |
So I try not to think about it too much. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
I can't alter what the weather does. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:03 | |
I can only make sure that we've done everything we can | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
in preparing the golf course to make sure that, if we do get rain, | 0:21:06 | 0:21:10 | |
the golf course is able to react and cope well with it, | 0:21:10 | 0:21:13 | |
and still perform to its optimum level. | 0:21:13 | 0:21:16 | |
The first tee of the PGA Centenary Course here at Gleneagles, | 0:21:19 | 0:21:22 | |
come Friday morning, the crowd will be gathered behind me | 0:21:22 | 0:21:25 | |
for the opening shots. You ask any player - | 0:21:25 | 0:21:27 | |
that opening Ryder Cup shot is | 0:21:27 | 0:21:29 | |
an experience for them never to be forgotten. | 0:21:29 | 0:21:33 | |
The challenge of the Ryder Cup, then, | 0:21:35 | 0:21:37 | |
the ultimate test for any golfer. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:39 | |
To help assess the two sides lining up at Gleneagles, | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
I sat down with three of Scotland's top golf writers. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:46 | |
Europe are the favourites. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:47 | |
We've won seven of the last nine matches, won the last two. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
However, the American team is not as weak as some people | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
are making it out to be. | 0:21:54 | 0:21:56 | |
They've got major champions in their team. | 0:21:56 | 0:21:58 | |
I mean, two of their wildcards, Keegan Bradley's a major champion. | 0:21:58 | 0:22:01 | |
Webb Simpson's a major champion. So they're useful players. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:04 | |
Don't make any mistake about that. | 0:22:04 | 0:22:06 | |
If you look at the three players they have picked, Webb Simpson | 0:22:06 | 0:22:10 | |
and Keegan Bradley, Keegan Bradley in particular, actually. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:13 | |
They played a big role at Medinah. | 0:22:13 | 0:22:15 | |
For that reason, they'll both be smarting. | 0:22:15 | 0:22:17 | |
They'll both have a point to prove when they get over here. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:20 | |
If there's one thing Americans like more than winning, | 0:22:20 | 0:22:23 | |
it's proving a point. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:24 | |
Stevie's had the best season of his career, by far, this year, | 0:22:25 | 0:22:29 | |
and I think he's developed into a great player. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:32 | |
There's the maturity, he's got the confidence | 0:22:32 | 0:22:34 | |
and the competitive instinct. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:36 | |
I think this will be the making of him in many ways, | 0:22:36 | 0:22:38 | |
and I'm sure he'll relish the challenge. | 0:22:38 | 0:22:40 | |
I think the fact that he's comfortable on the PGA Centenary | 0:22:40 | 0:22:44 | |
Course with the good record he has, that's going to help. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:47 | |
Coming off the season he's had as well, | 0:22:47 | 0:22:49 | |
there's no reason that he can't | 0:22:49 | 0:22:51 | |
go into this Ryder Cup feeling confident, but, yeah, | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
the pressure is going to be enormous. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:55 | |
'Don't go in, don't go in... | 0:22:55 | 0:22:57 | |
'O-ho! What a shot! | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
'What a shot from McIlroy.' | 0:23:00 | 0:23:02 | |
There is some natural pairings, basically, isn't there? | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
And I think the McIlroy/McDowell, and probably a Poulter/Rose, | 0:23:06 | 0:23:09 | |
they've done pretty well at Medinah, in a good alliance there. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:12 | |
Stevie could probably, to be honest, play with anybody. | 0:23:12 | 0:23:16 | |
I don't think anybody's going to turn down the fact that... | 0:23:16 | 0:23:18 | |
I actually heard rumours that Stevie might be getting looked at. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:22 | |
I don't know if the guys are the same, but he might be looked at | 0:23:22 | 0:23:25 | |
as a possible partner for Jamie Donaldson, a fellow rookie. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:28 | |
They're known to get on very well together, and I don't think | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
there would be anything wrong in putting out rookies together. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:34 | |
It's hardly unprecedented. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:36 | |
When it comes to the Ryder Cup, | 0:23:38 | 0:23:40 | |
there's no weakness with Ian Poulter at all. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:42 | |
He is inspired on that stage. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:45 | |
I watched him at Medinah, and the man was just incredible. | 0:23:45 | 0:23:47 | |
Watching him out on the golf course, there's just something | 0:23:47 | 0:23:50 | |
about that stage that he comes alive, | 0:23:50 | 0:23:52 | |
and he becomes like a major champion. He's not a major champion. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
Wow, you sound utterly convinced about that. Yeah, honestly, I mean, | 0:23:55 | 0:23:58 | |
it's just incredible that there's just something about that stage | 0:23:58 | 0:24:01 | |
that he loves and it brings out the best in him. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:04 | |
What happens if we get this typical Scottish microclimate, | 0:24:04 | 0:24:09 | |
where it's spitting with rain, | 0:24:09 | 0:24:10 | |
it's a bit windy, it's dour, it's dreich? | 0:24:10 | 0:24:14 | |
Does that help us or help them, or is it an equaliser? | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
I had an interesting chat with Sam Torrance about this | 0:24:17 | 0:24:20 | |
earlier in the year, and he told me that if the fans | 0:24:20 | 0:24:23 | |
are the 13th man for Europe, the weather is absolutely the 14th. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:26 | |
I can't tell you what else he said. It's not broadcastable! | 0:24:26 | 0:24:30 | |
But he does want it to be bad, shall we say. Right. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:34 | |
The worse, the better, because the conditions you're used to | 0:24:34 | 0:24:38 | |
are the conditions you're used to. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:39 | |
If it's bad, I think it'll play to our advantage. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:41 | |
And, as Celtic Manor proved, this'll be the litmus test | 0:24:41 | 0:24:44 | |
of the new supplier of America's waterproofs, probably, | 0:24:44 | 0:24:47 | |
if it comes hosing it down! | 0:24:47 | 0:24:49 | |
But no, I think if it's rainy | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
and wind and whatever, let's hope it isn't, | 0:24:51 | 0:24:55 | |
there's no doubt that Europe can get a wee... | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
just sneak a little advantage there, certainly. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:00 | |
A lot's been made of the weather, the weather potentially being bad. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:05 | |
A lot's been made of the golf course not being | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
everyone's favourite golf course, | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
but Medinah wasn't a great golf course, | 0:25:09 | 0:25:12 | |
not the best golf course in America, by far, | 0:25:12 | 0:25:14 | |
but it was one of the great Ryder Cups, because of the events, | 0:25:14 | 0:25:17 | |
because of the golf. So, these factors, I think, | 0:25:17 | 0:25:20 | |
we don't need to pay as much attention | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
to these factors as some people are making out. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:25 | |
Guys, do all your heads say "win for Europe"? | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
Yes, but only just. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:31 | |
It will be close again, I think. | 0:25:31 | 0:25:33 | |
I'll be honest, I think this'll be an American win. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
THEY GASP Oh! Yeah. Afraid so. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
I think they've been written off. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:40 | |
I think they're relishing the prospect of being underdogs, | 0:25:40 | 0:25:43 | |
and like Martin said, I think it'll be tight, | 0:25:43 | 0:25:45 | |
but I just get a sneaky suspicion that they're going to pip us. | 0:25:45 | 0:25:49 | |
Nick? It's going to be tight, I think. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
I think there's definitely... it's going to be nip and tuck. | 0:25:52 | 0:25:56 | |
But I think Europe will edge it in the end. | 0:25:56 | 0:25:58 | |
Bernard Gallacher knows more than most | 0:26:00 | 0:26:02 | |
about the incredible highs and lows of Ryder Cup golf. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:05 | |
He played eight times, making his debut as a 20-year-old in 1969, | 0:26:05 | 0:26:10 | |
twice defeating Lee Trevino at Birkdale. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:12 | |
And he captained Europe three times in the 1990s, | 0:26:12 | 0:26:16 | |
finally tasting victory after two agonising defeats | 0:26:16 | 0:26:20 | |
at Oakhill in 1995. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:23 | |
The trick of the captaincy is to decide which player you think | 0:26:23 | 0:26:27 | |
you should have a quiet word with, and some players that you shouldn't. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:30 | |
But when you're a captain, you really do feel for the players. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
You feel for the players, you're elated with the players | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
when they're doing well, | 0:26:36 | 0:26:38 | |
and you actually feel for them if they're struggling | 0:26:38 | 0:26:41 | |
or if they missed a putt, and so you're going through hell | 0:26:41 | 0:26:44 | |
out there if you're a captain, to be honest. | 0:26:44 | 0:26:47 | |
What really helped me in my third term of the Ryder Cup, | 0:26:47 | 0:26:51 | |
was having the press officer from the European tour | 0:26:51 | 0:26:54 | |
come with me all the time. Because I was... | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
I felt I was making mistakes when I was speaking to the press, | 0:26:57 | 0:27:00 | |
and it was really hurting our chances. | 0:27:00 | 0:27:03 | |
And you might not think that important, | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
but it's small things like that that help. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
Gallacher was captain at the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island, | 0:27:09 | 0:27:14 | |
a rowdy experience which for many marked | 0:27:14 | 0:27:17 | |
a sea change in the atmosphere at the event. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:20 | |
The American crowd really wanted to get involved. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:25 | |
I think that was the big turning point, | 0:27:25 | 0:27:29 | |
and I think since then, they have got involved, to be honest. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:31 | |
Even at Medinah last year, there was a lot of rah-rah | 0:27:31 | 0:27:35 | |
going on in the first tee, and it's all the way round. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
And that just seems to be what the Ryder Cup is these days, | 0:27:38 | 0:27:41 | |
and you just have to accept it and get on with it. | 0:27:41 | 0:27:44 | |
It's not over the top, it's not nasty, | 0:27:44 | 0:27:47 | |
it's just sort of not golf. HE LAUGHS | 0:27:47 | 0:27:51 | |
I think it's great that we're coming to Gleneagles, | 0:27:52 | 0:27:56 | |
because apart from the golf course, we want to showcase Scotland, | 0:27:56 | 0:27:59 | |
and what finer place to showcase it | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
than one of the best hotels in the world, far less Scotland? | 0:28:02 | 0:28:06 | |
I think all the spectators and people who come and watch | 0:28:06 | 0:28:09 | |
should just come with an open mind, and just enjoy it. | 0:28:09 | 0:28:13 | |
If we can have another contest like we had at Celtic Manor, | 0:28:13 | 0:28:17 | |
or we had at Medinah last time, then we're in for a treat. | 0:28:17 | 0:28:21 | |
So we're set to go. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:24 | |
This is the natural amphitheatre around the 18th green, | 0:28:24 | 0:28:27 | |
where next weekend, thousands of golf fans | 0:28:27 | 0:28:29 | |
will gather for the Ryder Cup. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:31 | |
If previous tournaments are anything to go by, | 0:28:31 | 0:28:33 | |
Scottish golf fans are in for three days they will never forget. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:37 |