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McGinley quits Ryder role

26/09/2007

Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley has resigned as Nick Faldo's assistant captain for next year's competition.

The Irishman has opted against assisting Faldo in Valhalla, apparently because he wants to be a part of Europe's playing team instead.

But the confirmation of his resignation comes the day before the start of the Seve Trophy in his home country, for which he was not picked by Faldo.

Instead, the Englishman opted for compatriot Simon Dyson and Scotland's Marc Warren as his wildcards, prompting speculation that McGinley had been snubbed.

But Faldo has refuted that suggestion, saying the decision was purely because the Irishman wanted to boost his chances of competing as a player.

"From the very start he was concerned about the workload - the bottom line is that he wants to play," the triple-Open winner said.

McGinley was picked alongside Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal as one of Faldo's assistants for the defence of the trophy Europe have won on the last three occasions.

The Irishman became an overnight hero when he holed the winning putt for Europe in the 2002 victory over the Americans at the Belfry to reclaim the cup.