Monday’s excitement at Gleneagles was all about the 12-months-to-go milestone for the Ryder Cup.
But for both captains, it is what happened 12 months before that could shape the 2014 matches.
European skipper Paul McGinley has revealed that in a Ryder Cup career taking in three playing appearances and two as vice-captain there is one learning curve that could prove to be more beneficial than all the rest recovering from a huge deficit at Medinah.
And from Tom Watson’s perspective, he will be tapping into the pain of throwing away that lead when he’s attempting to drive his team to victory in Scotland.
McGinley said: “Medinah was massive for me because the four previous Ryder Cups I was in the three I played and then as vice-captain to Colin Montgomerie they were very much plain sailing, to be honest.
“Okay, we were never really far behind, maybe one point or so at certain points in all of those four Ryder Cups, but never really trailed.
“At Medinah we were getting hammered the first two days, and I mean hammered. We were six points down at one stage on the Saturday afternoon it was a huge experience to come from the other side of the equation.
“To see what it was like and to feel what it was like. Basically to be on the ropes and how, slowly but surely, we crawled out of that situation. How people reacted around me.
“What I learned from Jose (Maria Olazabal), was how he guided the team and dragged it through. That was a big thing for me.
“At the time, it was a horrible experience but looking back on it now, it was a great experience.”
Medinah won’t become a Macbeth-type word to be avoided for Watson in the US locker room.
He insisted: “I know that the players don’t need any motivation. Several of them will be motivated by having been on the 2012 team. They played and lost that’s enough motivation.
“The team as it stands right now looks almost exactly the same as the 12 who played at Medinah.
“I’ll use that. I think you can use that motivation, although I don’t think any of the players should need to be motivated.”
Henrik Stenson has become a virtual certainty for Gleneagles with his FedEx Cup triumph on Sunday night. It was a welcome outcome for captain McGinley.
He said: “Henrik is probably 85% on the team now. He’s a guy I think is ready to come back to Ryder Cup level and a guy I certainly believe can add to our team, there’s no doubt about that.
“He’s a very strong player and a very strong competitor and a very good guy in the team room.
“I served with him on the Players’ Committee and he’s a strong character with strong views. I don’t think there’s anybody who’d be betting against him making this team now.”
Victories in America for Stenson at the weekend and Justin Rose in the US Open in the summer have caught the eye, but McGinley stressed he will be just as concerned with results closer to home over the next few months.
“I won’t be forgetting about what’s happening on the European Tour and the young guys who are coming through, “ he said.
“I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again, I’m really going to keep an eye on the younger guys who might not necessarily be in the top 50 in the world but who are performing well on a consistent basis in Europe.
“I’m really keeping a close eye on that as well as the Henrik Stensons and Justin Roses who are playing on the PGA Tour.”