I can only imagine how nervous Paul McGinley must have felt about doing an interview with top class Irish Independent journalist Paul Kimmag...
I can only imagine how nervous Paul McGinley must have felt about doing an interview with top class Irish Independent journalist Paul Kimmage.
Kimmage in case you dont know, is a formal top level cyclist, now journalist, who was among the first to publicly come out against Lance Armstrong's drug cheating. Pilloried and pummelled by Armstrong backers for years, Kimmage was finally vindicated when the seven time Tour de France winner was exposed as a cheat.
Judging by there opening exchange, McGinners was shaking in his boots at the prospect that the no nonsense writer might get something sensational out of him that might rock the Ryder Cup boat that is sailing along so nicely.
Kimmage even included their opening exchanges asking McGinley "Why are you so jumpy?"
But it isn't long before Kimmage gets to the thorny subject of Paul McGinley's relationship with Darren Clarke. Once firm friends, the pair now barely speak.
PK: You said at the start of the interview that you haven't told any lies but you told one lie.
PMcG: Go on.
PK: The lie was an answer you gave at the press conference, straight after you had been awarded the captaincy. Quote: 'At no stage did I have a problem with Darren standing.' But you did have a problem with him standing.
PMcG: I didn't.
PK: Not at all?
PMcG: I wouldn't say not at all . . . Are you quoting me on this?
PK: Yeah.
PMcG: It wasn't for me to tell Darren he can't stand. He wrote the letter a year before but was totally entitled to change his mind.
PK: But there must have been a part of you that felt betrayed?
PMcG: You're saying that.
PK: It would only be natural.
PMcG: I'm not disagreeing with you.
PK: When is the last time you spoke to him?
PMcG: I saw him in Turin last week.
PK: Did you speak to him?
PMcG: Yeah.
PK: Did you tell him he was not going to be one of your vice-captains?
PMcG: No.
PK: You never felt you had to make that call?
PMcG: No.
PK: It was obvious it wasn't going to happen?
PMcG: Yeah. Our conversations (now) are short and sweet: 'How are you? Fine. Move on.'
PK: That's kind of hard given how far you've come together?
PMcG: Yeah.
PK: And those great experiences you've shared?
PMcG: Yeah, but do you know what? It happens in all walks of life whether you're a businessman, a journalist or a golfer. It's what happens. You move on.
PK: Because the killer blow wasn't when Darren decided to stand against you, it was when he withdrew and rowed in behind Monty, someone he didn't actually like.
(He smiles but does not reply.)
PK: I'll take that as an acknowledgement.
(He changes his mind.)
PMcG: Now that was different. When you say: 'You told a lie,' I didn't tell a lie.
PK: You'll have to explain that to me.
PMcG: The answer I gave at the press conference was that I didn't have a problem with Darren standing.
PK: You weren't asked if you had a problem with him rowing in behind Monty?
PMcG: No.
PK: So you didn't tell a lie?
PMcG: Checkmate.
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Judging by there opening exchange, McGinners was shaking in his boots at the prospect that the no nonsense writer might get something sensational out of him that might rock the Ryder Cup boat that is sailing along so nicely.
Kimmage even included their opening exchanges asking McGinley "Why are you so jumpy?"
"Well, it's just . . . things are going well for me right now; I don't want to put pressure on myself by making a bollocks of it [the interview]," McGinley says.
But it isn't long before Kimmage gets to the thorny subject of Paul McGinley's relationship with Darren Clarke. Once firm friends, the pair now barely speak.
PK: You said at the start of the interview that you haven't told any lies but you told one lie.
PMcG: Go on.
PK: The lie was an answer you gave at the press conference, straight after you had been awarded the captaincy. Quote: 'At no stage did I have a problem with Darren standing.' But you did have a problem with him standing.
PK: Not at all?
PMcG: I wouldn't say not at all . . . Are you quoting me on this?
PK: Yeah.
PMcG: It wasn't for me to tell Darren he can't stand. He wrote the letter a year before but was totally entitled to change his mind.
PK: But there must have been a part of you that felt betrayed?
PMcG: You're saying that.
PK: It would only be natural.
PMcG: I'm not disagreeing with you.
PK: When is the last time you spoke to him?
PMcG: I saw him in Turin last week.
PK: Did you speak to him?
PMcG: Yeah.
PK: Did you tell him he was not going to be one of your vice-captains?
PMcG: No.
PK: You never felt you had to make that call?
PMcG: No.
PK: It was obvious it wasn't going to happen?
PMcG: Yeah. Our conversations (now) are short and sweet: 'How are you? Fine. Move on.'
PK: That's kind of hard given how far you've come together?
PMcG: Yeah.
PK: And those great experiences you've shared?
PMcG: Yeah, but do you know what? It happens in all walks of life whether you're a businessman, a journalist or a golfer. It's what happens. You move on.
PK: Because the killer blow wasn't when Darren decided to stand against you, it was when he withdrew and rowed in behind Monty, someone he didn't actually like.
(He smiles but does not reply.)
PK: I'll take that as an acknowledgement.
(He changes his mind.)
PMcG: Now that was different. When you say: 'You told a lie,' I didn't tell a lie.
PK: You'll have to explain that to me.
PMcG: The answer I gave at the press conference was that I didn't have a problem with Darren standing.
PK: You weren't asked if you had a problem with him rowing in behind Monty?
PMcG: No.
PK: So you didn't tell a lie?
PMcG: Checkmate.
Join the GolfCentralDaily community on Twitter for loads more comment on and off the course. Follow @golfcentraldoc
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