Europeans stay mum on their secret to Ryder Cup success

Reporting from Gleneagles, Scotland — There has been a lot of talk this week about Europe’s recent domination of the Ryder Cup and what captain Paul McGinley calls a “template” for success.

The thing is, no one seems to know exactly what that means.

McGinley has been coy when it comes to specifics. He has talked about former captain Tony Jacklin lavishing the team with cashmere sweaters and transportation by Concorde.

Picking the right players and putting them in the right pairings has obviously contributed to Europe winning seven of the last nine Cups. Sergio Garcia said McGinley “doesn’t want to change too many things we do before, the preparations, things like that.”

When a reporter from the Toronto Sun asked for more details, Rory McIlroy politely declined.

“I mean, you’re Canadian,” he said. “And there’s a lot of Americans in the room here.”