Some time last year we were told that Colin Montgomerie had performed a "U-turn" and would now be interested in a second stint as Ryder Cup captain when that event comes back to Scotland in 2014.
Previously, the man who steered Europe to victory last time around had said he had done his bit and that his only interest thereafter was in returning to the team as a player.
Given his long association with the match, the realisation that he is never going to do so may have had an impact, but his change of heart did seem to have the potential to ensure that there was a credible Scottish contender for the key role at Gleneagles.
Please enable cookies in your browser to display the rest of this article.