After going close to almost derailing Paul McGinley’s Gleneagles captaincy cause Darren Clarke has now thrown his weight behind the 2014 European team leader.

It was clear late last year McGinley had been seemingly let down by Clarke when the 2011 Open Champion announced he would be a candidate for the next Ryder Cup captaincy.

Darren Clarke now prepared to throw his weight behind new Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

And also McGinley is known to have been extremely disappointed when a letter Clarke had written to McGinley much earlier in the year and promising virtually not to stand in McGinley’s way was leaked in an Irish morning newspaper.

But now after McGinley was voted unanimously by a Players Committee boasting Clarke as a fellow committee member as McGinley, the burly Ulsterman has buried the hatchet and come out ahead of today’s (THUR) Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship supporting McGinley.

“I just hope we can put everything behind us because the important thing is that we all get behind Paul as captain and give him as much support as we can,” said Clarke.

“For me the focus is trying to play my way onto the team. That is why I announced I didn’t want to be considered for the captaincy this time.  I want to play, and do my bit at Gleneagles.

“I know that’s going to be tough. It’s been a long time since I last played.

“My last appearance was in 2006, and that was as a ‘wildcard’ pick, so if I can get back on the team eight years on it will be quite an achievement.

“But then I know I can still play a bit, and maybe with the distraction of the ‘will-he or won’t he get the captaincy thing’ that was hanging over me I can start to prove that.”

And while the dozen committee members were immediately instructed by the Tour not to comment publically on the vote in the period following the Abu Dhabi St. Regis hotel meeting.

“Paul was chosen unanimously, but it wasn’t a case of Monty not being given serious consideration,” said Clarke.

“You had two very different characters with very different attributes and we discussed it properly.

“But as we went around the table it was obvious that there was overwhelming support for Paul, and Thomas just said is there anyone opposed to Paul getting the job, and of course no-one was.”