By John Huggan

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- Judged on the sizable amount of evidence the world has gathered over the course of his 14-year career in professional golf, Sergio Garcia is capable of being many things. Emotional. Moody. Immature. Spoiled. Self-absorbed. Pampered. Excitable. A show-off. Those are just some of the more obvious characteristics one can attribute to the gifted 33-year-old Spaniard.

Garcia met with European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem on Wednesday. (Photo: Getty Images)

What there has been no indication of in Garcia is even a hint of racism, latent or otherwise. Which is why, even after cracking a clearly unthinking, ill-judged and rather silly "joke" stereotypically linking a black American, Tiger Woods, and the daily digestion of fried chicken, the former Players champion deserves to be rated on his previously unblemished (at least in terms of racism) overall record, not one moment of madness. His lame attempt at humor -- which recalled Fuzzy Zoeller's notoriously intemperate "collard greens or whatever the hell they serve" remarks in the wake of Woods' 1997 Masters victory -- was just that, nothing more or less.

Related: Golf's most regrettable interviews

Still, although his brain had clearly been temporarily out-of-order, it didn't take long for the potential and probable repercussions of his actions to dawn on Garcia.

"As soon as I left the dinner, I started getting a sick feeling in my body," he said to a packed press conference one day after what many will view as the ultimate faux pas. "I wasn't able to sleep at all last night. I felt like my heart was going to come out of my body. Today it was difficult to hit a shot without thinking about it. Unfortunately, I said it. I wish I didn't do it but the only thing I can say is sorry."

Which is what he did, repeatedly, throughout his 10-minute mea culpa.

"I want to send an apology," had been his opening line. Followed by, "I didn't mean to offend anyone. I was caught off-guard by the question. But don't get me wrong, I understand that my answer was stupid and out of place. I can't say sorry enough about that.

"Most importantly, I want to apologize to Tiger. I feel sick about it. I'm truly, truly sorry. I hope that we can settle things down and hopefully move on."

All of which, of course, is exactly what Sergio should be saying in the wake of such an ill-advised utterance. But hang on a minute. Before the wave of self-righteousness raining down on this suddenly wretched individual builds up even more momentum, some perspective please. An off-the-cuff comment regarding fried chicken -- while brainless almost beyond belief -- wasn't as damaging or hurtful as Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman saying Woods' nearest pursuers should "lynch him in a back alley." And, last time I looked, Ms. Tilghman was still on the air.

While Garcia is clearly guilty of crass stupidity, to condemn and categorize him solely on the basis of a single phrase uttered during an adrenaline-charged interview alongside his 2012 Ryder Cup teammates would be wrong. Just as no sensible assessment of a golfer's worth can be made after only one shot or one round or one tournament, the same criteria must surely apply to any assessment of a man's character.

Related: Garcia, Woods have spat at the Players

Already, of course, there have been predictably outraged calls for suspensions and heavy fines, none of which will apparently be used as punishment. In a brief meeting after his pro-am round at Wentworth, European Tour chief executive George O'Grady reportedly accepted Garcia's clearly heartfelt apology.

That result will assuredly not be nearly enough to satisfy that growing body of men and women "professionally offended" seemingly by anything and everything. But it is appropriate here. Because of the typically brutal and sometimes uncomfortable honesty with which Garcia responds to inquiries relating to his non-relationship with the world's best golfer, he should be allowed to move on from this latest episode. Indeed, just hours before his ill-fated quip made headlines around the world, Garcia faced the media gathered at Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship and gave a series of frank answers to questions regarding Woods.

Asked why he "doesn't like" the 14-time major champion, Garcia was refreshingly open. "There's people you connect with and people you don't," he said. "It's pretty much as simple as that. He doesn't need me in his life and I don't need him in mine. Let's move on and keep doing what we're doing. It doesn't mean I cannot play with him."

Such remarks are, perhaps perversely given what followed, worthy of praise. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Garcia did not take the easy way out. He did not hide behind the depressingly familiar mixture of obfuscation and blatant lies that these days pass for "comment." Instead, he told us exactly what he thinks. And it is his forthrightness that makes him deserving of a break. Were his dislike of Woods based on skin color rather than a simple personality clash, he would surely have revealed himself long before now.

"To even suggest Sergio is racist is ridiculous," agrees one prominent European Tour professional. "I've played within many times and never has he even come close to saying anything that would suggest he holds views like that. Yes, he can be a bit of an attention-seeker, especially in front of a crowd. Which is why he sometimes speaks before he thinks. But that's hardly a crime is it?"

Related: Sergio not on Tiger's list of buddies

The greater sadness here is that Garcia running off at the mouth in such a high-profile manner will do nothing to dispel the widely held image of a cosseted world of golf largely populated by a distasteful collection of closet racists, complimented only by those who are openly misogynistic. Indeed, that is a notion sometimes hard to argue with.

It is, after all, still less than 40 years since the first black man played in the Masters. Only just over half a century ago the PGA of America removed the caucasian clause in their membership policies. And, until this year when Augusta National welcomed two female members, the PGA Tour blatantly ignored its own rules regarding the sanctioning of tournaments held at clubs discriminating on the grounds of color, creed or gender. None of the above, it goes without saying, did the game any credit.

So let's be clear. For inadvertently and thoughtlessly perpetuating those shameful but now hopefully outdated stereotypes, Garcia deserves criticism. But only for that. To those who would have him banished from the game for mere stupidity, Londoners have an appropriate phrase: Do me a favor mate.

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By John Huggan

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- There were, as expected, no surprises. Almost six months on from their original announcement on the now notorious Rule 14-1b, the R&A today joined (simultaneously) with the USGA in confirming that the so-called "anchoring" of putters to any part of the body during a stroke will be deemed illegal starting January 1, 2016.

Related: Understanding the new ban better

"We know that not everyone will agree with our final decision," said chief executive Peter Dawson at a press conference held in the Ryder Cup room of the Wentworth clubhouse. "But we do hope that the care and love for the game that all have expressed through their participation in this process will facilitate acceptance of Rule 14-1b when it takes effect."

Peter Dawson talks at Tuesday's press conference. (Photo: Getty Images)

In that respect, Dawson was on much firmer ground than his USGA counterpart, Mike Davis. Opposition and/or dissension during this whole process have largely been confined to the western end of the Atlantic Ocean.

"We had no feedback from people saying they would give up golf if long or belly putters were banned," commented Sandy Jones, chief executive of the British PGA. "Plus, we are fully supportive of the R&A as the rule-making body. We like this rule. It will do no harm to the game at any level. I just don't see anyone using them.

"It does seem to be more of an American problem, one that has a lot to do with the speed of the greens over there. Eliminating variables in the stroke is much more helpful when the greens are slick.

Related: Nine notable rule changes in golf history

"Plus, less than one percent of putter sales worldwide are long putters. So where is this big problem? (PGA of America president) Ted Bishop's comments were nonsense really. There is no evidence to support his view. I played with Ted last week at Sawgrass. I use a 32-inch putter and made some good ones with him watching. I told him he was going the wrong way with this thing. Maybe he should be banning the short putter."

Most European Tour players, it is safe to say, feel similarly.

"I agree with what the R&A are doing," said Italian Ryder Cup player, Francesco Molinari, nicely summing up the mood of the majority. "I think it's important that we swing all 14 clubs in the bag and not just 13 of them. I have never liked that guys could anchor their putters to any part of their bodies.

"What the R&A has done is a good compromise. If they had legislated on the clubs themselves, I'm not sure it would have worked. Even with a short putter it is possible to anchor it. So what they have done makes sense to me. Some may argue that they are a bit late in doing what they are doing, but I say it is never too late to do the right thing."

Which is not to say that absolutely everyone on the European Tour is 100 percent behind what Dawson called "the most controversial rule change for a long time."

"After 30 years, I'm not sure it is right to be having such a drastic effect on players who have used it their whole careers," contended leading coach Denis Pugh. "It's an arbitrary call. Having said, that, if we were starting tomorrow I'd rule that the putter has to be the shortest club in the bag and also have the lease loft. Then go play.

"So I can see that long and belly putters are 'wrong.' But they have been wrong for too long. Plus, I think they have overcomplicated things. I can see guys finding ways round this rule."

Related: New putters provide anchoring alternatives

As for those charged with policing will invariably be, in practice, the tiniest of adjustments, European Tour chief referee John Paramor was broadly optimistic about both the immediate future and the brave new putting world post-2016.

"With the all the information that has been forthcoming from the R&A, it isn't going to be too difficult for us to pass it on to the players," he said. "I think the vast majority of players currently using anchored strokes will end up using a method that does not require any judgment calls on our part. We have more than two years to iron out any problems before we get to that stage. So it won't be a problem.

"I can see a small number asking us if their adjustments are OK, but not many. It won't be a problem though. There are many other rules where we rely on the integrity of the players to guide us. I am always asking guys what they were trying to do or intending to do in certain situations. This rule is no different in that respect. Besides, if anyone is close to anchoring after making any adjustments, we have more than two years to have a word with them about it."

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By Tim Rosaforte

From the May 20 edition of Golf World Monday:

Peter Uihlein took the road less traveled, but it was longer than the one, say, Jordan Spieth took to the PGA Tour. Spieth went to the University of Texas before turning pro halfway through his sophomore year and in less than a semester locked down full exempt status for the 2014 season. He didn't have to travel much beyond Pebble Beach or Hilton Head to get full playing privileges in his home country.

Related: Peter Uihlein's win at the 2010 U.S. Amateur

Uihlein, 23, went to Oklahoma State, won the 2010 U.S. Amateur, and instead of going the sponsor-exemption route, got his passport and took off on a European Tour work-study program to places like India, Kenya and Kazakhstan. This was the same path Adam Scott took from the suggestion box of the same people who advised Uihlein.

Butch Harmon, who has been teaching Uihlein, and Peter's dad, Wally Uihlein, CEO of the Acushnet Company, who signed Scott to a Titleist deal when he turned pro in 2000, presented the idea. The famed European agent who signed Uihlein, Andrew (Chubby) Chandler, mapped out a schedule.

Uihlein, who won the Madeira Islands Open yesterday, was all in. Just as Scott believed it paid off before his Masters victory, so too did Uihlein before his first pro win. "It's hard not to listen to guys like that who have been around the block," Uihlein said before going out to celebrate with Brooks Koepka, with whom he shares an apartment in Florida. "I think it made sense even before I won today. Look at all the guys who started over here. It's just different being an American and doing it."

There were stumbling blocks early on, none worse than a trip to Morocco in March 2012 for the Trophee Hassan II that ended after an opening-round 83. Uihlein took nine weeks off during which he spent three weeks at Harmon's home in Las Vegas with Butch and wife Christy. "I really believe a young guy who comes out has it too easy on the U.S. Tour," Harmon said. "To go and play on the European Tour where the weather is bad, the courses different and the travel difficult, you become a better, well-rounded player in the long run."

The win gets Uihlein into this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and with a European Tour card secured, it has him looking at sponsor exemptions in the U.S. this summer. It also gives him bragging rights on Koepka, the Florida State graduate who won a European Challenge Tour event on May 5. They share an apartment in Palm Beach Gardens with Matt Broome, who is playing the Minor League Tour.

Related: "The next great American player" title doesn't always pan out

From his American base, Uihlein works out at PGA National with the same trainer as Stacy Lewis (Dave Donatucci) and works on his game at Floridian with Claude Harmon III and Old Palm GC, where Chandler has an office.

"This was quite a big win," Chandler said from his home in England. "He's been brave enough to do things differently when he could have had a lot of starts in the States, but he stuck to his plan. The idea was to learn the game before tackling the PGA Tour."

The road may have been less traveled, but it's leading Peter Uihlein back where he belongs.

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By John Huggan

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- As a group, they've achieved almost everything else in this century. Five Ryder Cup wins over the Americans. Eight major championship victories. And countless tournament triumphs across the globe. But so far in this century, no European golfer has donned a green jacket.

It's an oddity, as even a glance at the Official World Golf Ranking over the past 12 and-a-bit years shows only too clearly. Even more so when one considers that not so very long ago, the Old World came close to dominating the youngest of the four most important titles in the game. Between 1980 and 1999, six European stars (Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal) pulled on golf's most famous garment. But, since then: nothing.

Related: Our staff picks to win the Masters

So what's the deal? What's going on here? Why has this clearly gifted and talented generation of Euros failed so miserably on a course where their immediate predecessors flourished so memorably?

Photo by Getty Images.

"The crop of really good European players that has emerged over the last decade or so have all -- apart from Luke Donald -- been marginal putters," contends leading coach and CBS commentator Peter Kostis. "Except during the Ryder Cup. Ian Poulter has certainly displayed some great skill on the greens in that environment, but I'm not sure he has the ball striking to win the Masters. Then again, he is now better in that area than he has ever been. So you never know.

"Back in the days when Faldo, Ballesteros, Olazabal and Langer were winning the Masters, what they all had in common was great putting. The last line of defense at Augusta National is the fiercely sloping greens. So if you can't putt, you can't score well there.

"I think Rory McIlroy would have won a couple of years ago if he had been a better putter. The putts he missed early on in the final round seemed to rattle him. Had he made those, I think he would have calmed down and the back-nine debacle that did ensue would not have happened."

Related: The biggest Masters heartbreaks through the years

Still, Kostis is not one who feels that the dearth of European victories since Olazabal's second in 1999 is going to last much longer.

"Rory is a better putter than he was two years ago," he says. "So is Lee Westwood. Which will improve their chances of victory. I think Rory has the best opportunity though. He went to see (former USPGA champion and renowned putting coach) Dave Stockton right after the disappointment of 2011 and made himself a better putter. He knew that had let him down."

While the Kostis theory makes sense, Donald wasn't reading too much into the last 14 years of futility.

"Does it surprise me?" asks the former world No. 1. "Nothing surprises me in golf anymore. But the fields are a lot deeper and anyone can win on a given week. But there's a bunch of great European players right now. So we certainly have as good a chance as anyone else."

Related: Luke Donald's Do's & Don'ts of the Short Game

Englishman Paul Casey, absent this year from Augusta for the first time since 2006, is another who sees hope for the immediate future.

"What may make a difference is that so many of our guys are playing more golf in the U.S.," he says. "That will better prepare them for the majors and Augusta in particular. But the bottom line is that I have no idea why a European hasn't won at Augusta in so long. Sometimes weird stuff just happens. Look at this year on the PGA Tour; an American won every event until last week in San Antonio. That's impossible to explain. It's like ten reds in succession coming up on the roulette wheel.

"It's strange, but it does happen."

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By Alex Myers

Rory McIlroy withdrew from the Honda Classic on Friday, citing "severe wisdom tooth pain." He might be the first World No. 1 to use that excuse, but he's certainly not the first notable golfer to bow out of a tournament in unusual fashion. Here's a rundown of some other recent, um, interesting reasons for failing to complete an event:

Sergio Garcia, 1999 St. Jude Classic -- Before "El Nino's" famous closed-eyes shot from behind a tree at the PGA Championship later that year, the 19-year-old needed surgery to remove an abscess above his left eye. Unfortunately, that happened the Thursday of the annual tournament in Memphis, forcing Garcia to withdraw before hitting a shot. The reason for the abscess? An outbreak of acne, according to his manager. So basically, Sergio was just a typical teen with pimple problems.

Tiger Woods hasn't had the best track record at TPC Sawgrass. (Getty Images)

Jim Furyk, 2006 Barclays -- Furyk withdrew before the start of the tournament with a bad shoulder. The catch? He injured it while brushing his teeth. Yeah. . . we're pretty sure he took a good ribbing from his fellow tour pros when he returned after that. Funny enough, Furyk had a freak disqualification from this same event -- when it was part of the PGA Tour's playoffs -- four years later when he overslept for the Wednesday pro-am. Incredibly, he bounced back to win the Tour Championshp and claim the FedEx Cup.

Related: Golf's worst injuries through the years

Tiger Woods, 2010 Players Championship -- In his third start since returning from his scandal at the end of 2009, Woods played decently at TPC Sawgrass until abruptly pulling out on the seventh hole of the final round. In recent years, Woods' WDs have become more common -- he withdrew at the 2011 Players also -- but for his various leg injuries. In this case, Woods cited neck pain. The 14-time major champion returned a month later for the Memorial, and hasn't seemed to have a problem with his neck since. Of course, nothing seemed to go right for Tiger that year. He had just two top 10s, didn't qualify for the Tour Championship for the first time, and couldn't even win his annual hit-and-giggle event at Sherwood when Graeme McDowell stunned him in a playoff.

Phil Mickelson, 2012 Memorial -- Lefty withdrew following a first-round 79 due to "mental fatigue." However, it later came out that he was protesting the PGA Tour's new policy of allowing fans to bring cell phones on the course. Specifically, Mickelson wasn't pleased about fans using their phones to take pictures while he played. Either tournament marshals have gotten better at controlling fans with phones or Phil has become less camera shy because he hasn't had a major issue with the policy since.

Related: A comparison of Tiger's and Rory's careers

John Daly, pick a tournament -- The master of the WD, Daly has made a bad habit of taking a sponsor's exemption -- and sometimes an appearance fee -- and then walking off the course before the weekend. His best reason had to be when he withdrew from the 2012 Singapore Open due to fatigue. But his best flameout exit occurred at the 2011 Australian Open. After making a triple bogey to fall to seven-over par in the first round, he hit seven shots into a pond on the 11th hole before shaking hands with playing partners Hunter Mahan and Craig Parry and walking off. What got him to finally stop? As he later said on Twitter, "when u run out of balls, u run out of balls."

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By Alex Myers

The Rory McIlroy-to-Nike-equipment rumors persisted for months before becoming true. His return to one of his old clubs took far less time.

Before his second competitive round representing Nike at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, McIlroy ditched the company's putter for his trusted Scotty Cameron. In a post-round interview, McIlroy told the Golf Channel, "I just felt like I wasn't getting the ball to the hole. The greens here are a little slow and the Nike putter I used yesterday is quite light, so for practicing on fast greens it's great, but when you get on greens that aren't quite as quick like here, I felt like I was having to hit it a bit more. So, it's just a weight issue. The one I used today is a bit heavier, so I thought I could stroke it a bit more, so that was it."

Related: Golf's all-time costly equipment switches

Whatever the reason, it didn't seem to help much. The world No. 1 shot a second-straight 75 to miss the cut in his first tournament of 2013 and his first-ever event as a pro not playing Titleist clubs.

Photo by Getty Images

Nike probably won't be too pleased with the putter swap and all the publicity it will bring. Many analysts, including six-time major champion Nick Faldo, were already questioning McIlroy's switch to the Swoosh.

McIlroy isn't the first big name to take the Method putter out of his bag. Tiger Woods first put the club in play during the 2010 British Open only to switch back to his Scotty Cameron before the final round that week. He would eventually go back to the Method and is currently putting with it. Like McIlroy, his missed cut this week -- thanks in part to a two-shot penalty -- wasn't exactly what Nike had planned when they commemorated the duo's 2013 debut by airing a commercial of them playfully competing on a driving range.

Related: A side-by-side comparison of Tiger and Rory's careers

At his press conference announcing his switch to Nike on Jan. 14, McIlroy was specifically asked if his new contract would allow him to switch back to his old putter. He dodged the question by praising his new equipment and saying he didn't want to get into contract specifics.

Despite being the world's best player, putting has been the worst part of McIlroy's game. He ranked 82nd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained/putting, and struggled particularly from four to eight feet, where he ranked a dismal 158th.

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By John Huggan

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- On a day when the preponderance of inappropriate long grass and an ever-rising breeze made good scoring the preserve of a fortunate few, the two best golfers on the planet joined the majority of the morning field on Day One of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship in performing some way short of their potential.

Tiger Woods described the conditions as "so hard out there," en route to an opening 72 that was three shots better than his playing companion and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy. Amidst a flurry of perplexingly wild shots, the Ulsterman made a brace of double bogeys -- one the result of a drive that found a distant car park -- and only two birdies in a round that was both his first competitive outing in eight weeks and his first ever with a set of gleaming Nike clubs in the bag.

Related: The costliest equipment switches ever

Which is not to say that Woods -- who actually said his short game had been "very sharp" all day -- did not match McIlroy in the duffing department. Most notably, the pop-up tee-shot he hit off the first tee (his tenth) failed to carry the 100-yards necessary to reach the fairway. Estimates varied, but the consensus seemed to be that the 14-time major champion's club contacted the turf somewhere between one and two inches behind the ball. Whatever, it was certainly more "splat" than "swoosh."

Photo by Getty Images

"My plan was to hit a 3-iron or a 5-wood off that tee," he explained. "Especially with this wind. But I changed my mind on the tee and wasn't committed to the shot. I didn't want to hit it. I should have backed off and followed my game plan. But I didn't do that and so paid the price."

"You just have to look at the scoreboard to see how tough it is out there," continued Woods, who three-putted his final hole for a disappointing bogey. "A lot of guys are struggling. This is a very difficult course in this wind. The fairways are narrow and a lot of holes are played in a crosswind. It seemed like we were banking up against the wind pretty much all day. "

Related: The week in golf and beyond

All of which is true. But still, it wasn't that hard. By lunchtime as many as eight players had posted scores in the 60s, a fact that only emphasized the relative mediocrity produced by the two highest-profile players in the game.

Typically, however, McIlroy was making no excuses for a decidedly dodgy performance dotted with uncharacteristically-wayward shots. His tee shot at the short, 186-yard 12th hole missed its target by a good 30 yards right and eventually led to the first of those double bogeys. The second came at the 439-yard third hole, where his first drive found the aforementioned car park way to the right -- admittedly after ricocheting off a tree -- and his second the left rough. By most estimates, there was at least 150 yards between the two balls.

Not surprisingly, McIlroy put his struggles down to "rustiness" rather than anything equipment based. But he did acknowledge that adjusting to his new clubs was an ongoing process.

"My problems were more swing-related than club-related," he insisted. "Whenever the wind was right-to-left I was comfortable enough cutting the ball into it. But when it was blowing the other way I had trouble releasing the shot properly.

"When you go out with new stuff you are always going to be a little bit anxious. I was hoping I was going to hit it on the course like I have on the range, but today that wasn't quite the case. Still, I learned a few things. Apart from that one shot on the par 3, my irons were pretty good. Hopefully I can put them into play tomorrow.

Related: A side-by-side look at Tiger's and Rory's swings

"I'll be out on the range this afternoon, working on it. I obviously need to play a bit better if I'm going to make it to the weekend. It wasn't all bad, though. While this obviously wasn't the round I was looking for, there were a few good signs out there."

As for the level of social interaction between the two Nike stars, it was, as Woods pointed out, "difficult to talk too much when we were both trying to grind out a score." Another factor in those lengthy silences, of course, was that only on their final hole did both men find the fairway from the tee. Things, one feels, can only get better. For both.

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By John Huggan

Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- After all the talking, all the speculation, all the toing and froing, all the other names in the Ryder Cup frame, it took the European Tour's tournament committee only an hour to decide that Paul McGinley was the man they wanted to lead Old World against New at Gleneagles next year.

Five men were considered: Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Lawrie and McGinley.

"But we are 100 percent behind this captain," said Thomas Bjorn, chairman of the 15-strong committee. "It was obvious very early that a consensus was forming. We had all listened to the players on tour and it was obvious who they wanted to represent them. In the end, it was a unanimous decision and we are all 100 percent behind him."

Photo by Getty Images

Certainly, McGinley was pleased with the outcome. He arrived on stage for the late night press conference held in the Regal Ballroom inside the St. Regis hotel here with the widest of smiles across his expressive face. And the first thing he did was reach across and fondly caress the famous gold trophy, one that Europe has won in seven of the last nine encounters with the United States.

Related: Recent U.S. Ryder Cup captains

"I'm thrilled," he said. "It's a great honor to be chosen to lead the cream of the crop from what is arguably the strongest European Tour in history. I'm humbled to be sitting here as Ryder Cup captain and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to go up against one of my golfing heroes in Tom Watson."

Certainly, it was obvious that the 46-year old Dubliner had the support of the vast majority amongst the tour's rank-and-file. So if the committee members took any account of that level of feeling -- and they did -- there was only ever going to be one winner.

Perhaps even more importantly, McGinley had the public backing of world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and three other key members of the 2012 team -- Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Luke Donald. Throw in the fact that Irishmen McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowery and Peter Lawrie all appeared during the new skipper's press conference and it is clear that Europe has perhaps never before had a more universally-popular leader.

"Common sense prevailed," tweeted the world No. 1. "Paul McGinley 2014 European Ryder Cup captain. Couldn't be happier for him. Roll on Gleneagles."

"I stand by what I said earlier this week," continued McIlroy. "And it would be great to see Darren Clarke get the job in 2016. I played under Paul in the Seve Trophy and had such a good time. He made us all feel so comfortable. He's the best captain I've ever played under."

Such an unprovoked recommendation did not go unnoticed by McGinley, who was noticeably and sensibly silent throughout the convoluted and sometimes near-farcical build-up to the committee's decision. "It's amazing what you can learn when you listen and don't talk," he said with a smile. "Besides, the players were speaking for me so there was no need for me to say anything. But I will say that Rory is in good shape for a pick if he doesn't make the team."

Cue yet another grin as wide as Galway Bay.

Related: How Tom Watson became the next U.S. captain

Three times a Ryder Cup player -- three times on the winning side -- McGinley memorably holed the winning putt at The Belfry in 2002 and twice served as vice-captain in the biennial contest, as well as twice led the Great Britain & Ireland side against the Continent of Europe in the Seve Trophy. It was there that he developed the reputation for thoroughness and attention to detail that undoubtedly contributed most to his selection.

Still, with only four European Tour victories on his resume -- he and Padraig Harrington also won the World Cup for Ireland in 1997 -- he does at first glance have the look of a diminutive David against the golfing Goliath that is the eight-time major champion, Watson. And yes, he is surely the least-distinguished player to land the role since John Jacobs in1981. But don't be fooled. McGinley was ultimately the right man for the job --ask almost anyone on the European Tour and they'll tell you so.

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By John Huggan

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- One of the most frustrating features of what will surely become known as golf's "Tiger Era," has been the lack of pubic candor emanating from the 14-time major champion. For reasons that have never been entirely clear -- mostly because he had never deigned to tell anyone -- Woods has played what cricketers call a"straight bat" to almost every question. In other words, his answers have invariably and typically been both predictable and pedestrian.

Still, time moves on and so has golf. No longer No. 1, either on the ranking list or the Nike client roster, Tiger's snarl has been reduced in volume and significance. At least that was how it looked when the world's best two players took to the stage prior to this week's HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship.

Photo by Getty Images

During his press conference the new No. 1 was asked seven questions about the now world No. 2. In stark contrast, the now No. 2 had earlier fended off as many as 15 queries related to the one man ranked above him. Suddenly, Rory is the man making the news; Tiger is the afterthought.

Related: How Tiger and Rory's careers stack up

Which is no surprise in this particular week, of course. Wearing his new Swoosh-festooned togs, McIlroy commented on a range of subjects, each time living up to his long-ago promise to make every effort to give thoughtful and relatively engaging responses to questions. In that respect at least, the PGA champion hasn't changed at all in the more than five years he has so far spent in the professional ranks.

"I wouldn't have thought that I would be sitting here as a two-time major champion, No. 1 in the world and doing everything that I've done in the game already," he acknowledged. "It's all been happening a lot faster that I thought it was going to happen."

The one area where the game's best player became less than forthcoming was when the subject at hand veered into the extent and/or value of his new clothing and equipment contract.

"I'm just concentrating on the golf," he said with a smile. "All the financial stuff will take care of itself. I'm here to try and win trophies. They are worth more than any contract."

Related: A side-by-side look at the swings of Woods and McIlroy

The details of that contract, incidentally,seem to have been thrashed out by someone other than McIlroy himself. Asked whether he is "allowed" to wear a red shirt on the final day of an event where Tiger is playing, he was clearly discombobulated.

"I really couldn't tell you," he said. "I'm not sure. I've won in red before, but I'd rather just wear something that goes with green."

That lightness of touch was, as usual, missing from Woods' 25-minute sparring session with his close personal friends in the media, although it must be acknowledged that every Rory question was answered without a hint of irritation.

"I like Rory as a person," he said in response to question number 13. "He's a really nice kid. I think all of you guys are aware of that."

Perhaps the most interesting and revealing anecdote, however, came when Tiger was asked about Rory's near absence from the Ryder Cup singles at Medinah.

"I missed a tee time in a junior event," he said. "I called in for my tee time and said 'Woods' when they asked for my name. Unfortunately, there was a guy called Steve Woods in the field and they gave me his time. It was a pretty empty feeling to show up and know that I had cost myself the chance to win the tournament."

Related: Watch Tiger and Rory's new Nike commercial

Second prize on the interesting gauge came when Woods was quizzed on what influence he had had in Rory's switch to Nike. And what, if anything, has he (Tiger) changed in his bag recently.

"None," was the unsurprising answer to part one. But part two elicited the following response:

"I have put in a fresh batch of irons. The grooves were getting a little worn. So I wanted to make sure I started off the year with fresh irons. I usually switch them up every six, seven months."

Did not know that.

Still, in the first Nike-to-Nike clash of 2013, McIlroy emerged as the winner. Call it 4&3, with Woods scrambling to stay even that close.

Follow @johnhuggan

From the Jan. 14 issue of Golf World Monday:

By E. Michael Johnson

Golf needs to take a lesson from Major League Baseball. Last week its Hall of Fame chose to take a pass, failing to elect a single new member as no player was named on the 75 percent of ballots needed for induction.

Related: Is Colin Montgomerie a Hall of Famer?

Yet in 2004 the World Golf Hall of Fame added the proviso that -- after already dropping its hall standards from 70 percent to 65 percent in 2000 -- "in the event that no candidate receives 65 percent, the nominee receiving the most votes with at least 50 percent is elected." That amendment will let Fred Couples and Colin Montgomerie, both named on 51 percent of their respective ballots, into the hall this May.

Although it is easy to understand the desire for star power to attract fans and media to the ceremony, doing so by inducting players on what is essentially a technicality is unfair to the hall, the fans and, to some extent, the player.

Take Vijay Singh, who got in with 56 percent in 2005. Singh is a sure-fire, deserving Hall of Famer with 34 PGA Tour victories and three majors. Would it have been so awful to wait until he got the required number of votes?

Golf's hall should practice what so many instructors of the game preach: patience.

Follow @EMichaelGW

(Photo by Getty Images)