ABU DHABI — Paul McGinley appears to be the front-runner to become Europe's Ryder Cup captain for 2014, though he may face a late challenge from former captain Colin Montgomerie. McGinley has received a timely endorsement from top-ranked Rory McIlroy, who tweeted his support for the 46-year-old Irishman. "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," McIlroy tweeted late Sunday. While he doesn't have the success on the golf course of Montgomerie, McGinley clearly has the credentials. He has been on three winning Ryder Cup teams and was vice captain for Europe in 2010 and for its improbable comeback win last year. Montgomerie, a long-shot only a few weeks ago, has indicated he would be eager to take on the post a day before the European Tour's tournament committee votes in Abu Dhabi. Montgomerie's chances improved last week after Darren Clarke all but took himself out of the race. "Obviously, it would be a dream come true if I could be seen to be captain at home in Scotland," Montgomerie said in South Africa, where he played at the Volvo Champions. "It will be a great honor. It seemed to be between Darren and Paul and now my name seems to be mentioned an awful lot, so we will see." Clarke and McGinley have long been the two main candidates to replace Jose Maria Olazabal. The Americans last month picked Tom Watson to lead its team at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. — AP
