Paul McGinly Named European 2014 Ryder Cup Captain


Paul McGinley

Mitchell Gunn-USA TODAY Sports

46-year old Paul McGinley was named as the 2014 European Ryder Cup Captain after a committee meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening. McGinley, from Dublin, Ireland, was appointed after support from Europe’s number-one and number-two players. Rory McIlroy said in an interview on Monday that he would support McGinley, and he believed the appointment should go to someone who had not yet been a captain. In so many words, he indicated he wasn’t in favor of a second appointment of Colin Montgomerie. McGinley was also endorsed by Luke Donald.

Team US fired the first shot across the bow last month when they appointed Tom Watson to Captain the event, which will be played at Gleneagles in Scotland, where Watson had most of his success during his playing days. Watson, who is not necessarily a player-friendly captain, will be expected to whip Team USA back into shape after the the whooping they took on Sunday at Medinah. Tom Watson also has had a couple of run-ins with Tiger Woods over his conduct on the golf course, but is expected to get Tiger’s full cooperation. Watson captained the 1993 Ryder Cup team which is the last team to win on the road at the Belfrey, winning 15-13, and returning the Cup to US soil.

Paul McGinley’s name surfaced after Darren Clarke, who was seen to be in line for the appointment,but didn’t want to disrupt his career for two years to captain the team due to the recent success of his personal game. Clarke won the British Open in 2011, and feels like his playing career is almost over, and wanted to maximize his efforts on the golf course.

Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez‘s name also surfaced this past weekend as being someone who was interested in the job. Jimenez is recovering from a broken leg he encountered in a skiing accident before Christmas. The vote on Tuesday was, in my opinion, a formality, as McGinley was the guy who was going be appointed.

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