McGINLEY'S ADVICE ON HOW TO SURVIVE AS A TOUR PROFESSIONAL

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By Rod Gilmour, Quinta do Lago

Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley, has handed out some invaluable advice to this year’s finalists in the Telegraph BMW Junior Championship, saying that golfers had to have the “complete package” to survive as a professional.

On the eve of the Championships, McGinley welcomed the 21 juniors – 12 boys and nine girls – to the Algarve's Quinta do Lago complex, where the Irishman has an academy, before revealing that he would line up alongside the two winners this week at the BMW Championship pro-am at Wentworth next year.

The calibre of talent on show here suggests that whoever tees it up alongside McGinley – currently one of the busiest men in golf ahead of next year’s Gleneagles showdown – will have beaten one of the tightest fields in years, especially in the boys’ tournament.

The two winners will hope to follow in the footsteps of former finalists who, in recent years, have included Tom Lewis, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Lauren Taylor, Hayley Davis and Carly Booth.

“You have to perform week in, week out, otherwise you will just be a flash in the pan,” McGinley said, speaking alongside another former Ryder Cup star Andrew Coltart.

“You also have to project yourself properly and deal with the media in the right way. All of these things contribute to becoming a professional.”
McGinley, who sank a 10ft putt to win the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry, added: “Taking statistics and improving every aspect of your game is vital.
“You need the whole package and it’s very important to get your life sorted off the golf course. Longevity doesn’t happen by chance.”
In a question and answer session, McGinley was also asked which players currently stand out as one of his captain’s picks ahead of next year’s Ryder Cup.
McGinley said that there would be “a lot of weight” in players on an upward angle in form, hinting that Paul Casey is currently one of those in contention.
The Englishman played in last week’s Seve Trophy and is slowly making inroads to a return to the world’s top 100.
Follow the action on Twitter @telegraphjunior