McGINLEY STANDS DOWN AS RYDER CUP VICE
CAPTAIN - HE WANTS TO PLAY AT VALHALLA

Paul McGinley has informed Nick Faldo, captain of the European team, that he wishes to focus entirely on winning a place in the 2008 Ryder Cup against the United States at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, on September 19-21 and that he has withdrawn from his position of joint vice-captain designate.
McGinley said: “It was a great honour to be picked by Nick but on reflection, and after careful consideration, I feel it is in my best interest to concentrate on playing myself into the team which I said from the start was my first objective.
“I’ve played the last three matches and I want to play at Valhalla. I’ve been very fortunate, I’ve played three Ryder Cups, won all three, two by record margins, under three great captains and now I want to play for Nick and bring the cup back to Europe again.”
Richard Hills, the European Ryder Cup Director, said: “We fully respect Paul’s decision to concentrate on retaining his European Ryder Cup status for a fourth successive time. He has a 100 per cent record as each time he has played Europe has won and, of course, he holed the winning putt in 2002 and remains unbeaten in the singles. Paul’s credentials are outstanding and with the qualification for Valhalla now having started we wish him every success in his quest to be a playing member of Nick Faldo’s team.”
Faldo, speaking at a press conference at the Seve Trophy where he is captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team in the match against Continental Europe, said: “Paul is a helluva Ryder Cup player. The man holed a winning putt in The Ryder Cup, and that’s the sort of player I want on my team. I said right from the start, if that's his priority and if anything changes, absolutely fine. So I’m more than comfortable with it.”