PAUL McGinley, who holed the winning putt in the 2002 Ryder Cup, fears that Tiger Woods absence from the American team at Valhalla in a fortnight’s team might actually make the hosts stronger, not weaker.

When the world number one, who had won five of the previous 14 Major golf championships, announced he would be out for at least six months just hours after winning the US Open at Torrey Pines golf course in June, many pundits predicted the Yanks had lost their best chance of regaining the Ryder Cup after three successive defeats.

But with the countdown to the Kentucky contest now done to days instead of months, some commentators believe that the absence of the world’s greatest golfer may actually lift the American team.

Paul McGinely, who has been using StrokeAverage.com consultancy to analyse his golf stats and advise on his golfing performance for the past five years, agreed this week that captain Paul Azinger may well get more out of his team without the Tiger Woods factor - but still back Europe to come out on top.

The Sunningdale-based golfer resigned as one of Nick Faldo’s two vice-captains last year to concentrate on trying to qualify for the team, and after missing out last week was disappointed to see his great friend Darren Clarke left out of the European Ryder Cup team by captain Nick Faldo.

Paul McGinley said of Tiger Woods’ absence: “I think it's going to pull them together and put everyone in their team on a level playing pitch.”

Paul Azinger raised some eyebrows when picking big-hitter J B Holmes as one of his four captain’s picks – along with fellow Ryder Cup rookies Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan, plus the relatively experienced Chad Campbell, playing in his fourth match against Europe.

With the likes of Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, who have four golf Majors between them, now the American’s highest-ranked golfers and veteran Justin Leonard, who holed that monster putt that turned around the hosts’ fortunes so controversially at Brookline, in 1999, Paul Azinger will have four rookies on the team - the same as Nick Faldo.

And the US skipper will be hoping local hero Kenny Perry, who was one of the hottest golfers in the world earlier this summer, winning three times in less than two months, is his trump card.

Paul McGinley is wary of the Americans, who have lost the last two Ryder Cups by the same record margin.

Speaking before this week’s Omega Europea Masters at Crans, in Switzerland, said: “Not to have Tiger, it will be just the team and I don't think it's going to hurt them at all.

“Holmes is a Kentucky boy and he and Kenny Perry will, I think, be paired together, at least in one of the matches.

“It's probably more interesting to see what he's done than what Faldo did because the picks were not quite as clear as the European picks.

“Our system, whatever you say about it, we've won by record margins. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, that's my view. The system we have is obviously working so let's keep doing it.”

Paul McGinley, who has played in Europe’s last three winning teams is determined to be back in the fold when the Americans head to Wales’ Celtic Manor in 2010, expects Englishman Lee Westwood and Spaniard Sergio Garcia to be the two key golfers for Europe once again.

The winner of the 2005 Volvo Masters added: “The success of our last Ryder Cups has been based on particularly Lee and Sergio playing extremely well

“I expect them to play well again, lead from the front and win a large majority of our points.

“If we are to win this Ryder Cup we need our top players to play well, which they have been doing in previous Ryder Cups," said McGinley, who anticipates another European victory.

“I don't think it will be another thrashing, but I think we'll win.”

Golf article end.