Endorsements are the currency of politics, and Paul McGinley just landed a big one in his candidacy for the 2014 European Ryder Cup captaincy.

RC captaincy should be a 1 time thing... Everybody deserving gets their chance and moves on... Would love to play under Paul McGinley in '14

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) January 13, 2013

McGinley and Darren Clarke were the favorites to become the European team captain until the PGA of America's surprise December announcement that Tom Watson would captain the U.S. side in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2014. That left some thinking that the Europeans would pick a higher-profile captain than either McGinley or Clarke. Last week, Clarke took his name out of consideration, saying he still wanted to focus on playing, and Colin Montgomerie, captain of the 2010 European team, said he'd be captain again if asked. With his tweet Sunday, McIlroy made his preference for McGinley clear.

The European Tour's tournament committee will select the 2014 Ryder Cup captain in a vote in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

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1. “I’m going to have to stick a knife in my heart at the end of this.”

Jim Furyk, discussing his painful losses in 2012 in the February issue of Golf Magazine

2. “Tiger Woods demands $3 million just for an appearance, if he were to compete in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters -- which is not worth paying for a tournament of $2.5 million prize money.”

Hassan al Nuaimi, president of the Qatar Golf Association

3. "That's a ten-stroke f---ing penalty, and if you ever do it again I'll do the same to you!"

Keith Richards, after shooting a golf ball that landed in his breakfast, according to a new book by Stones saxophone player Bobby Keys

4."I'll still be playing competitive golf
when I'm 70."

Padraig Harrington, at the Volvo Champions in South Africa

5. “They should put a plaque down. I was coming from a different ZIP code. And I’ve got to compete against these animals!”

Ernie Els, after playing partner Nicolas Colsaerts hit a 419-yard drive at the Volvo Champions in South Africa

6. “The guy is like a God over there
in Scotland.”

Steve Marino, on playing with Tom Watson in the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry

7. “I will always appreciate the loyal and generous support of our faithful sponsors, volunteers, fans, media and LPGA golf professionals and I extend a special thanks to all of them.”

Actor Jamie Farr, on stepping down as host of the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic LPGA Tour event after 28 years

8. "I've never canvassed, as I didn't last time. I've not spoken to anybody about this. But I've always felt that if I was asked I would do it and that's still the case."

Colin Montgomerie, on his interest in being captain of the 2014 European Ryder Cup team

9. "He's in my ear the whole way,
telling me I suck, telling me I'm going to choke."

Keegan Bradley, on beating Michael Jordan at golf

10. “From an image standpoint, I like the way Rory handles himself off the golf course.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, on Rory McIlroy’s breakout season in 2012

“I’m afraid of three things: I’m afraid of crowds, I’m afraid of the dark, I’m afraid of heights.”

2. Rory McIlroy, on why he might not compete in the 2016 Olympics

"I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the UK. If I could and there was a Northern Irish team I'd play for Northern Ireland.”

3. Johnny Miller, on what he expects from Tiger Woods in 2013

"I think he's due for a win at the Masters. It'll be interesting to see if he can get all the little bugs out of his head."

4. Carl Pettersson, on the anchored-putter ban

“It feels a bit like a witch hunt to me. They keep harping on the younger generation using them, but I think they're going to ban it because it looks bad.”

 5. Caroline Wozniacki, denying that she received an engagement ring from McIlroy

"It was a Christmas present and it fit on this finger and I put it on."

6. Gary Player, on why he supports the ban on anchored putting

“If you have a slight tremble with putting, you can never be a superstar or win majors. Straightaway, when you anchor it, it takes away the tremor.”

7. Hunter Mahan, on his off-season visit to Israel in November

“There were missiles at Tel Aviv and we were in Tel Aviv. Once we heard that and once my wife heard that, she said, ‘We're out of here.’”

8. Charlie Beljan, on disliking food

“I've eaten the same Subway sandwich five days a week for the last eight years and haven't changed it, and I'm not willing to try.”

9. Steve Stricker, on his ‘semi-retirement’ at age 45

“When I get home, I'm not there. I'm focused on where I go next. ... I've had enough of being totally focused on golf.”

10. Colin Montgomerie, on being elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame

“I had my fun in America but at the same time all good banter and good competition, and I'm very competitive, and so were they and it made it quite interesting.”

Colin Montgomerie captained the victorious 2010 European Ryder Cup Team. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Former European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie fears that the trend of European stars like Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood moving to Florida to play the PGA Tour will hurt the next Ryder Cup team, according to the Daily Mail's Mark Garrod.

As European golfers play more events on the PGA Tour, and fewer European events, the players become less familiar with European Ryder Cup venues, according to the report.

'It's very difficult and we have to sit down and try to address this.

'Sponsorship is getting harder and the first thing a sponsor asks is "who's playing?". He wants as many Ryder Cup players as possible.

'It's important for the future of European golf.'

'We need to get our team to Gleneagles. We have to have that advantage,' the Scot said. 'In 1997 our biggest advantage was Valderrama. The Americans had three days to prepare, we had 10 years.'

Paul Lawrie and Francesco Molinari are the only two members from the 2012 European Ryder Cup team who will not be members of the PGA Tour in 2013.

Colin Montgomerie, who dominated the European Tour in the 1990's and was one of the most successful Ryder Cup players of all time, has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. He will be inducted with Fred Couples, Willie Park Jr., Ken Venturi and Ken Schofield on May 6, 2013.

Despite all of his success, Monty, as he was known to fans around the world, never managed to win a major championship. He finished second three times at the U.S. Open, once at the British Open and once at the PGA Championship. The full announcement from the Hall of Fame is below:

Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield share, as player and administrator respectively, a special affinity with both The European Tour and The Ryder Cup and they will be honored for their contribution to the game next year when they are inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum.

Montgomerie – elected through the International Ballot – and Schofield – selected through the Lifetime Achievement Category – will be honored along with fellow 2013 inductees Fred Couples, Willie Park Jr. and Ken Venturi at the Induction Ceremony on May 6, 2013, at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. The Ceremony will once again kick off THE PLAYERS Championship week.

George O’Grady, The European Tour Chief Executive, and Jack Peter, the Hall of Fame Chief Operating Officer, made the official announcement at a press conference attended by both Montgomerie and Schofield prior to The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year Luncheon in London.

“This is a very special day for golf and for The European Tour,” O’Grady said. “Colin and Ken are unique individuals and their contribution to not only The European Tour, on and off the fairways, but also The Ryder Cup makes them both very worthy candidates for the World Golf Hall of Fame.

“Colin’s achievement in winning the Harry Vardon Trophy eight times, including seven in a row, took considerable talent, skill, imagination, endurance, physical strength and mental resilience. Any aspiring and ambitious golfer on The European Tour today craves the opportunity to win The Race to Dubai, which has succeeded the Order of Merit, just once – to  do it eight times is universally viewed as a superhuman feat.

“Colin became European Number One for the eighth time in 2005 which, coincidentally, was the year I succeeded Ken. Unquestionably, Ken’s contribution to The European Tour is incalculable. His vision, passion and reservoir of knowledge established the foundations that we enjoy today and, like Colin, he has enthusiastically supported and taken enormous joy from Europe’s recent triumphs in The Ryder Cup.”

The accomplishments of both Montgomerie and Schofield have been recognized around the world.

"Ken and Colin are truly worthy of induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame,” said Mike Davis, USGA Executive Director and chairman of the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors. “These two men played huge roles in golf's international development in the late 20th century. Ken provided more opportunities for top players to compete around the world, while Colin took advantage of these opportunities and set an unmatched standard of prolonged excellence on The European Tour."

“Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield are outstanding ambassadors of the game,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “Each has made vital contributions to golf’s global expansion. Colin’s achievements on The European Tour and the Ryder Cup have gained him fans worldwide, while Ken’s tireless work during his time at The European Tour created new innovations and tremendous international growth. Congratulations to both Colin and Ken on this well-deserved honor.”

Montgomerie dominated The European Tour in the 1990s, finishing Number One seven times in succession from 1993 and then capturing another Harry Vardon Trophy in 2005. The Scot turned professional in 1987, following his second Walker Cup appearance, and won 31 European Tour titles – a record by a British player – including three successive PGA Championships at Wentworth Club and, in total, 40 tournaments worldwide.

In eight successive Ryder Cup appearances from 1991, Montgomerie created a remarkable record of being unbeaten in the singles with a 6-0-2 mark, in addition to winning 9 1/2 points from 14 foursomes and 7 points from 14 fourballs.  He then went on to captain the European Team, which regained The Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales, in 2010.

Montgomerie, who received the MBE in 1998 and then the OBE in the 2005 New Year’s Honours List, will be eligible to compete on the European Senior Tour when he celebrates his 50^th birthday on June 23 next year.

“It is a wonderful surprise to hear that I will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame next year,” Montgomerie said. “I know I am very fortunate to have enjoyed such a successful career playing the game I love and it makes me feel very proud that my achievements have been recognized in this way. While my eight Order of Merit wins were very special, as everyone knows my Ryder Cup experiences have provided the very best moments in my career and receiving this great honor is the icing on the cake. I am delighted that my dear friend Ken Schofield’s notable contribution to European golf will also be recognized at next year’s Ceremony and I look forward to sharing this special occasion with him.”

Schofield became First Secretary and Executive Director of The European Tour on Jan. 1, 1975, succeeding John Jacobs. When he took the helm, The European Tour comprised 17 official events with an official prize fund of €599,084. When he retired at the end of 2004, there were 45 official events with official prize money of £106,010,654, in addition to 29 European Challenge Tour events and 21 European Senior Tour events. Schofield initiated global expansion for the game when he took The European Tour outside of the European continent for the first time in 1982 with the playing of the Tunisian Open. That began a structure whereby the Tour positioned itself internationally – co-sanctioned tournaments with other Tours now total 164 since the inaugural one in South Africa in 1995 – with more opportunity and incentive for the players in first the major championships then the World Golf Championships.

Since his retirement Schofield, born and raised in Perthshire, Scotland, where he became, at 23, Scotland’s youngest bank manager, has become an integral part of The Golf Channel’s broadcast team at The Ryder Cup and major championships. He also served for five years as President of The Golf Foundation, of which a founding member was Hall of Fame member Sir Henry Cotton, prior to being succeeded by Montgomerie. He is also on the board of several companies and organizations and was appointed CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 1996.

“I am delighted not just for myself but also for The European Tour,” Schofield said. “This is an honor for absolutely everyone who in the last 40 years helped the Tour become what it is today. For me it is quite unexpected and I am both delighted and humbled that I should be given a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in the company of so many great names who have together contributed to making the game of golf so special in our lives.”

With the new Class set, the Hall of Fame will now focus on the Induction Ceremony on May 6, 2013.

“Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield will be excellent additions to the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum,” Peter said. “The Class of 2013 is a wonderful snapshot of the rich, international history of the game. We look forward to celebrating all of the achievements of this distinguished group at the 2013 Induction Ceremony.”

(Photos: David Cannon / Getty Images)

Shortly after it was officially announced that Tom Watson will lead the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2014, Sky Sports published statements from both Bernard Gallacher and Colin Montgomerie on why they believe he is the best man for the job.

Gallacher, Watson's opposing captain in 1993, said:

"The USPGA have conducted a post-mortem after Medinah and decided that, as they look likely to have a young and inexperienced team, they might need a bit of experience over in Scotland to deal with the young players, so Tom, who is probably the most respected figure in the game today and has been there before as a captain and player and won in Europe, is a very clever appointment.

"I also think Watson is the perfect captain to get the best out of Tiger Woods, something we have not seen in Ryder Cups. Tiger only plays with Steve Stricker, but Tom will get him playing with other players ahead of 2014, plus, I think Tiger respects Tom for being very straightforward and criticizing him when he spat and swore on the course."

Monty, leader of the victorious European squad in 2010, said:

"It is a surprise choice but seeing America's failure in the Ryder Cup - Europe have won seven times out of the last nine - they've decided to change things and go with someone who isn't playing alongside the players; if you keep on doing the same things you get the same results, so I think America have been very wise in choosing Tom and have gone back to the future.

"It is also a selection that will keep the Ryder Cup on the front pages in America, more so than some of the other candidates, while as a captain in '93 he was very well respected and he's even more respected now. There's a lot of pressure on him but I'm sure he can handle it - and the egos in the American team."

According to the UK's Daily Record, Colin Montgomerie wants members of the Tournament Player's Committee to ignore their personal opinions and affiliations with the two candidates and select the next European Ryder Cup captain fairly.

Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, both candidates for the role, are part of the 15 member committee that will select Jose Maria Olazabal's replacement.

Monty's concerns stem from the fact that two other members of the committee -- David Howell and Richard Finch -- are represented by the same management company -- ISM -- as Clarke, according to the report.

“Both Paul and Darren would be suitable. Let’s hope that when the vote is taken there are those in the room voting for a player and not a fellow management client."

“It should all be about who is the best man for the job.”

The committee is slated to make a decision in January.

After spending much of Ryder Cup week announcing in the first-person plural, Colin Montgomerie had more to say in a Wednesday column published in The Telegraph.

Monty, a 2014 hopeful for the European captaincy, dispensed more of his bountiful knowledge to future American counterparts. Specifically, after watching Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson pair like they were playing in a country club Father-Son outing, Monty thinks Tiger Woods needs a youngin' of his own:

"It is time for Woods to be entrusted to take a young player under his wing," Monty wrote. "It’s a two-way thing, as Mickelson and Bradley showed. In fact, Mickelson was the big-winner in that pairing as Bradley really fired him on to produce his best. I see a Rickie Fowler type doing the same for Tiger."

There you have it. The Ryder Cup swami has spoken. Next time, bring on Rickie Woods and Keegan Mickelson. Sorry, Strick.

Despite his exclusion from Jose Maria Olazabal's cadre of little helpers, Colin Montgomerie is using every avenue available to provide advice and input.

He already weighed in on American crowds. And, in a column published in the Sunday Telegraph, Monty took aim at Rory's expressed wish to take on Tiger during the Sunday singles matches.

So, what's the 2010 captain have to say on the subject? In a word: Don't.

Rory wanted to play Tiger in the singles on his debut at Celtic Manor two years ago. As captain I wouldn’t haven’t expected anything less from this tremendous young competitor, but I was thinking: “Hang on, hang on, keep away from Tiger.” He’s to be avoided, particularly in a head-to-head in America.

Rory would have something to lose. Tiger would be freewheeling and we saw what he can do when in the mood against poor Francesco Molinari in Wales.

My God, he blasted him away, being nine-under through 11 holes. Let someone else take that, not our best player.

The truth is we’ve got so many other big names to rely on. Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell these are all proven Ryder Cup winners. And there is quality right through the team, with Justin Rose and recent winners in Paul Lawrie and Peter Hanson only bolstering the confidence.

So there's the heart of the strategy: Send a different "big name" lamb to slaughter. As a fan, let's hope Ollie takes a different tack. A Tiger-Rory match with the Cup on the line would blow the roof off Medinah. And Medinah's outdoors.

Anyway, stay tuned for more Monty wisdom: He'll be working for the Golf Channel during Cup week. Expect a lot of first person.

It's Ryder Cup Week! And, so, Rumors feels compelled to get it started with a post on Colin Montgomerie -- in part to keep with tradition and in part because, as always, he insists.

Monty, who will be at Medinah in a non-playing, non-captaining capacity working for the Golf Channel, told Ewan Murray of The Guardian over the weekend that he's worried American crowds might get a little rowdy outside Chicago, which could make things tough on Team Europe. Oh, yeah -- and 9/11 fits in there somehow. As Murray reports, quoting Monty at length:

Now Montgomerie has claimed the amount of time passed since the terror attacks on the twin towers could have reduced the respect offered by the United States' supporters towards this week's opposition.

"There is a risk," Montgomerie said. "I think the world changed. I mean the Ryder Cup and sporting events, when America played internationally, changed since 9/11.

"America realised we were their allies, their great allies, but that was 11 years ago and time moves on. Everything moves on and I have a slight fear that it is going to be very difficult for us Europeans to perform to our potential in a very difficult place to be.

"I think that what you find is that playing away from home in America when they want it [the Ryder Cup] back is a difficult place to have to play golf and I do hope that everyone realises that and allows the Europeans to play to their potential. Unfortunately, on the Sunday of the Ryder Cup in 1999, that wasn't available to us."

Something tells us that the Chicago fans won't be too worried about the Europeans' ability "to play to their potential." And Monty should know that there are two ways to guarantee a rowdy showing by the American fans: 1) Tell them to be quiet and 2) Tell them you expect them to be loud.