Triple Major winning Padraig Harrington said it would be madness if Colin Montgomerie were to accept the 2014 European Ryder Cup team leadership.
The Tournament Players Commitee, with Monty as one of 15 on the Committee, will meet on Tuesday January 15th in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to vote on a successor to Miracle at Medinah captain, Jose Maria Olazabal.
Monty is already on record stating he would not be interested in again captaining Europe but did admit to www.golfbytourmiss.com late last year in Singapore he would, of course, accept the role if asked, but then Monty does not expect to be asked.
Grand Slam of Golf winning Padraig Harrington says it would be mad if Colin Montgomerie accepted the role of 2014 European Ryder Cup captain. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)
However the Scot’s name is back in the 2014 European Team captaincy debate with Harrington informing good friend and Reuters colleague, Tony Jimenez Monty would be mad to accept the role.
“There’s not a chance, after what he went through last time, that Colin would ever take the captaincy again,” said Harrington to Reuters.
“He puts so much more on the line than anybody else – it would be madness for him. He’s had a great Ryder Cup playing career, he’s been a successful captain – why risk all that?
“I can’t see in any shape or form him agreeing to do it again.”
The 2014 European Team captaincy is more in frame given the US’s shock decision to appoint Tom Watson to lead the Americans in the hope of breaking a European Team stranglehold on the biannual competition.
However Harrington believes Monty will be left with egg on his face and his superb career ruined if he lost to a team captained by the eight-time Major winning Watson.
“I had a long chat with Monty the evening we won the Ryder Cup in 2010,” added Harrington to Jimenez.
“I could see the relief Colin had when he won.
“I don’t think he quite realised until then the enormity of being captain for him. Most players who take the captaincy, whether they win or lose, it doesn’t change people’s perception of their overall career.
“Monty’s career though is based on his eight order of merit wins and his Ryder Cup performances.
“By taking the captaincy he’s putting far more on the line than anybody else because it would be hard to mention that he’s unbeaten in the singles in the competition but, oh, he’s also a losing captain as well. That would take the shine off his great record.”
Harrington, a stalwart of six Ryder Cup campaigns, wants fellow-Irishman McGinley to take over as skipper at Gleneagles in Scotland next year before handing over to Northern Irishman Clarke for the 2016 version in the United States.
“Everybody’s talking about it on the European Tour,” said Harrington. “My own personal opinion is that McGinley should take it this time and for Clarke to do it in the U.S.
“I think Darren would be a better captain in America because of his stature over there. McGinley would be a better option to go up against Watson.
“He can’t match Watson in terms of his stature in the game – nobody can do that. The only way McGinley would tackle a Ryder Cup is to knuckle down and do his own business and organise things – he would be ideal for Gleneagles.”
Harrington, who launches his 2013 European Tour campaign at next week’s Volvo Golf Champions event in South Africa, said he had heard on the golfing grapevine that Watson was going to be named as U.S. captain.
“That was the word, so it was no surprise when I found out he was appointed,” said the genial Dubliner. “I had kind of heard earlier that they were going to do something different.
“I can understand it – they’re not dominating the Ryder Cup and they need to bring in the heavyweight hitters to get the trophy back.
“They don’t have the luxury at the moment of going through the ranks to pick the captain – they have to go right to the top of the pile and unless you pick Jack Nicklaus, there’s no one else who carries the stature of Tom Watson,” added Harrington.
“It will be fascinating for the U.S. players because if you can learn anything from Tom Watson, anything at all during Ryder Cup week, it would be a career highlight.”
