Paul McGinley signs autographs at last year’s Irish Open in Killarney. Autograph hunters in Scotland aren’t always genuine fans. Photo Jenny Matthews/www.golffile.iePaul McGinley revealed this week that his love of Celtic FC has led to some sectarian abuse on his frequent trips to Scotland. Amazingly, it’s the kids who give him the most stick for his love of The Bhoys.

“The Rangers fans are not very fond of me even though that with ninety nine per cent of them it’s juts a bit of banter,” he told Highland Radio’s Shaun Doherty.

“There’s been nothing particularly nasty but the nastiest [moments] come when I see kids doing it. I’d be signing autographs and my cross would hang out and they’d tear the piece of paper back from me [and say] ‘I don’t want your such-and-such autograph, ye fenian this or ye fenian that.’ But look that’s the way it is.”

McGinley has made no secret of the fact that he’d love to captain the European Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles in 2014. And it appears that he has another role model when it comes to man management in Donegal GAA manager Jim McGuinness.

“I would die for him,” McGinley said after meeting McGuinness this week. “That’s the way he leaves you. His outlook is inspirational. I have met a lot of people but he is certainly up there at the top.”

DonegalDaily.com picked up on the highlights from the interview, including his love of GAA, his aversion to watching golf on TV and his determination to remain grounded.

McGinley revealed although he has made a great living out of playing golf, he rarely watches it.

“I don’t enjoy watching golf, in fact I don’t watch a lot of it. I get bored watching it,” he said.

McGinley admits there is a danger of becoming caught up in the celebrity lifestyle which he finds himself.

He revealed how he recently was invited to play golf with the King of Ghana and has also played with the King of Malaysia and the King of Morocco.

He says he loves coming home to Ireland to help him bring himself and his family back down to earth.

“You do expect a lot but that’s not a good trait. It’s great to come home to Ireland and even to go back to Donegal where my mother and father are from.

“I often think ‘how am I going to talk my kids into going back to Donegal?’ because they see and do so much.

“But we always try to teach them that manners are so important. I make a point of being grateful to people when they help me out. I respect people no matter what level of life they are at,” he said.