Captains enjoy year-to-go Ryder Cup celebrations

Europe and USA Ryder Cup team captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson have completed a series of celebratory events marking a year to go until the 2014 contest at Gleneagles

Ryder Cup

Captains enjoy year-to-go Ryder Cup celebrations

Europe and USA Ryder Cup team captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson have completed a series of celebratory events marking a year to go until the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

McGinley and Watson boarded a specially-commissioned steam train and took in the sights and sounds of the Scottish countryside in first-class Pullman carriages before arriving at The Gleneagles Hotel.

The captains were joined on board by Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, Minister for Sport Shona Robson, European Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills and PGA of America President Ted Bishop.

A raft of celebrity ambassadors, including James Nesbitt, Alan Hansen and Ruud Gullit, also boarded the uniquely-branded locomotive.

A commemorative flagstone marking improvement work at Gleneagles station was unveiled before the Ryder Cup captains took to the PGA Centenary Course.

There, they competed in a special event with sixteen junior golfers - a boy and girl from each of Scotland's eight regions - from the country's hugely successful ClubGolf Programme.

"There is tremendous excitement already about the Ryder Cup with a year to go - you can only imagine what it will be like when we get to next September," said McGinely.

Watson, the eight-time major champion, added: "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be captain in Scotland, a place that has been very special to me during my career.

"We anticipate a tremendous match and September 2014 can't get here quickly enough."

Celebrations were rounded off at Perth Concert Hall as 1,150 people joined McGinley and Watson for 'An Audience with the Ryder Cup Captains'.

The 2014 Ryder Cup takes place at the Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland from September 26-28.

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x