McGinley was right choice for Ryder Cup captaincy

Date Published: 23-Jan-2013

IT’S been a long time coming, but at last Europe has an Irish captain for the Ryder Cup. This prestigious biannual event has been going strong since 1927 and though golfers from our shores have made a significant contribution to winning this prestigious event down through the years, the team was never skippered by an Irish man.

Who will ever forget the heroics of Philip Walton, Galway’s own Christy O’Connor Jnr, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell in match winning singles against the USA in the past, while the likes of Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Eamon Darcy, who defeated the putter-less Ben Crenshaw at Muirfield, Ohio in 1987, Des Smyth, Harry Bradshaw, Christy O’Connor Snr and Rory Mcllroy have also represented Europe with pride and distinction.

Their deeds fuelled the belief that it was past time for an Irish golfer to lead Europe into battle against America, and from a long way out, the race to captain the team in next year’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles appeared between Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, until the latter threw a potential spanner in the works by suggesting a captain with a ‘huge presence’ should fill the role after the US surprisingly recruited sporting legend, Tom Watson, as their captain.

Perhaps, Clarke was genuine in that belief but it’s also possible that the 2011 British Open champion had picked up, from the straws in the wind, that he wasn’t going to be choice of the European Players Committee and was trying to save some face. Whether Clarke intended it or not, he was also undermining McGinley’s bid for the captaincy as the spotlight was suddenly turned on Colin Montgomerie, a former Ryder Cup hero who had led Europe to a narrow victory at Celtic Manor in 2010.

With the 2014 Ryder Cup being staged in the Scott’s home country, Montgomerie encouraged the prospect of a quick return to captaincy duties by saying ‘he would do the job again if asked’ despite the 20-year-old policy in Europe that it’s now an once-in-a-lifetime role.

Throughout the past couple of months, McGinley wisely maintained a dignified silence, but he had no shortage of influential supporters who were publicly prepared to bat for his candidature.

Chief among them was world number one, Rory Mcllroy, who didn’t pull any punches in backing McGinley to the hilt even when his Northern Ireland counterpart Clarke was still in the race. Other top European golfers like Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter, who inspired their extraordinary comeback against the USA in Medinah last September, also rowed in behind the popular Dubliner.

Though McGinley by his own admission had a ‘modest playing career’, he has excelled in team golf, featuring on the winning side in all five Ryder Cup matches – three as a player and two as vice-captain – that he has been involved in, while he also twice skippered Britain & Ireland to victory over Continental Europe in the Seve Trophy. By all accounts, the 46-year-old’s man-management skills, attention to detail and leadership were all above reproach in those events.

It’s a huge honour for McGinley to be chosen as the Ryder Cup captain, particularly as he is breaking new ground for an Irish golfer. He has admitted that Watson was one of his childhood heroes and there will undoubtedly be mutual respect between the pair – a situation which should ensure next year’s match is played in good spirits unlike a number of confrontations in the past, most notably the 1991 encounter at Kiawah Island which was infamously described as the ‘War on the Shore.’

JOHN MULLANE

HE was one of those players who tended to get under the skin of opposition supporters with his jersey tugging antics after scoring and fiery nature, but the retirement of John Mullane last week has sparked widespread tributes to one of the greatest Waterford hurlers ever. The five time All Star winner was hugely respected among his peers but, sadly, finishes his career without that elusive All-Ireland medal.

Since Waterford’s re-emergence as a hurling power in 1998, they have brought great colour and excitement to the championship arena.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.