GOLF: Those responsible for selecting the next European Ryder Cup captain have delayed their announcement until later this month after the PGA European Tour's players' committee failed to reach a decision at last night's meeting in Abu Dhabi.
The 15-man committee, chaired by Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, met ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and after a meeting lasting almost four hours they still couldn't decide on a captain for the 2010 matches at Celtic Manor in Wales.
The committee will meet again in Dubai on Monday January 28th on the eve of the Dubai Desert Classic and plan to announce their choice the following day.
Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam, 2006 winning captain at the K-Club, and Scotland’s Sandy Lyle are among the frontrunners for the role.
Ireland’s Paul McGinley, who sits on the selection committee and is a three-time Ryder Cup winner, is also among the contenders, albeit with an outside chance.
McGinley and Olazabal have both expressed their desire to still play in the Ryder Cup in 20 months’ time when Europe will attempt to regain the trophy they lost at Valhalla GC in the United States last year.
The United States have already named former US Open champion Corey Pavin as their captain. He was also on hand at the K-Club in 2006 as part of Tom Lehman’s backroom team.
