Proof that silence really can be golden

Sometimes the right guy does come first.

In a victory for common sense, fairness and the all too often forgotten skill of keeping a dignified silence, Paul McGinley emerged from behind the European Tour screen with the widest of grins and in full possession of his continent’s Ryder Cup captaincy.

McGinley will be Ireland’s first Ryder Cup skipper when Europe hosts the 40th matches at Gleneagles, Scotland and defends the small but iconic trophy retained in such dramatic fashion at Medinah Country Club last September.

And it was not just on these shores that it was felt there was no better man for the job. Despite the near-frenzied speculation that placed 2010 winning captain Colin Montgomerie as the best candidate to go toe-to-toe with the USA’s recently appointed surprise choice Tom Watson, McGinley received the unanimous backing of the 10 members of the European Tour Players’ Committee present in the Abu Dhabi hotel conference room yesterday.

It put to bed a worrying few months for the Dubliner, who saw his fellow vice-captain from Medinah, Darren Clarke, edge into contention before an upturn in form made the Tyrone man reconsider committing the next two years of his life to the cause. Then, just as Clarke withdrew his candidacy, most probably until the 2016 matches, Montgomerie let it be known that he would be “honoured” to reprise the role he performed with distinction at Celtic Manor, only this time on his home soil in Scotland.

All well and good and perfectly above board in a democratic selection process but Monty’s apparent lobbying for a re-run went against not only the accepted policy of appointing captains on a once-only basis but also his own previous utterances that he would not seek the job again. No fear for the popular McGinley, who whilst all around him were throwing their sponsored caps in and out of the ring, kept his own with the peak turned way down. While his nerves may have become frayed and his heart no doubt fluttered as the bookmakers’ odds ebbed and flowed, his lips remained sealed.

Not that he was alone in the world. Many of those players who had served under McGinley on Vivendi/Seve Trophy teams and benefited from the three-time Ryder Cup winner’s vice-captaincy under Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal, came out swinging for the Irishman, not least world No 1 Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, two of the heroes of Medinah, who used their Twitter accounts to considerable effect in the final hours before voting.

Still, when McGinley, a committee member himself but unable to vote, was asked to leave yesterday’s meeting, there must still have been an element of doubt about which way things would turn out. And even when he appeared from behind that screen and sat down besides players’ committee chairman Thomas Bjorn and European Tour chief executive George O’Grady, the way he reached out and placed his left hand on the Samuel Ryder Trophy suggested he still needed proof that he wasn’t dreaming.

No Paul, you’re not.

McGinley has all the experience and leadership qualities to continue Europe’s success. Both McIlroy and Pádraig Harrington last night spoke of his attention to detail and his willingness to make difficult decisions. He commands the backing of Europe’s most prominent players, but is, as Bjorn put it, “one of us”, in touch with the Tour and with current Ryder Cup experience, which is considerably different to that of 20 years ago, when Watson was last involved.

McGinley is therefore an eminently sensible selection. Europe can be under no better leadership.