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Monty: McGinley best man for job

Colin Montgomerie was 'very, very gracious' to Paul McGinley after the Scot missed out on leading Europe in another Ryder Cup © Getty Images

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Colin Montgomerie says he is not disappointed that his dream of captaining Europe for a second time in the Ryder Cup was dashed by the appointment of Paul McGinley.

With America selecting Tom Watson as skipper, almost 20 years after he guided them to their last victory on European soil, Montgomerie was talked about as possessing the necessary presence to match up to the 63-year-old and his high standing in the game.

But the Scot's bid was undermined by vocal support from Europe's high-profile players, particularly Rory McIlroy, for McGinley to get the job.

The Northern Irish golfer's reason for backing McGinley over Montgomerie was, in part, because the Scot had already been granted the honour once before, at Celtic Manor in 2010.

Despite Europe's success three years ago in Wales, world No. 1 McIlroy believes skippering the team should always be a one-off.

After Tuesday's announcement confirming McGinley would lead the team, Montgomerie described the Irishman as the "best man for the job."

"I'm not at all disappointed - it would have been a dream come true, but it has not happened," Montgomerie said.

"I was very flattered even to be considered again - it meant a lot to me. The selection process was such that they appointed the best man for the job. We all get behind Paul now and wish him well. I appointed him for the Seve Trophy and he did a very good job - as he did twice as a vice-captain [in the Ryder Cup].

"He's a very good man-manager and very good at assessing people's strengths. I will be there to support and fly the flag for Europe."

McGinley will lead the team in 2014 following back-to-back wins for Europe but with the incentive of a sixth win in the last seven contests. And the 46-year-old said it was Montgomerie who was first to wish him luck in his task.

"He was the first man I saw, he came up and congratulated me warmly and wished me the very best of luck," McGinley said on Radio 5 Live. "He was very, very gracious to me.

"Monty has been a great captain and a great stalwart of Ryder Cups. I have played in three Ryder cups with Monty, everybody knows what the Ryder Cup means to him and how he has carried the Ryder Cup, not just as a player, but how he spoke at the meetings and the air of authority he had around it."

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