Golf: Jose Maria Olazabal, who along with fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros helped bring a new generation of fans to the Ryder Cup, will captain Europe in the 2012 event in Medinah, near Chicago after the 44-year-old emerged as the only genuine candidate to take over from Colin Montgomerie.

In the widely-expected move, the veteran of seven Ryder Cups as a player (four on the winning team) succeeds Montgomerie who stepped down after leading Europe to victory over United States in the 2010 edition of the biennial team event at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Olazabal becomes just the third continental European to lead the side after Ballesteros was captain on home soil for the win at Valderrama in 1997 before Bernhard Langer then took over from Sam Torrance for the 2004 match in Detroit - and led Europe to a record nine-point victory.

"It is huge for me to be the next captain...I think it's going to be the biggest challenge of my career," Olazabal told a news conference ahead of this week's Abu Dhabi Championship.

"I've had a pretty solid professional career but the Ryder Cup is very special to me and to be the captain...there is only one go at it and I will try to be as successful as possible.

"Golf has been my life and representing Europe in the Ryder Cup has given me so much enjoyment so to be named captain is something very special and I am looking forward to the next 20 months," added Olazabal, who also said he will not be seeking any more wild card picks.

Montgomerie created something of a headache for himself when he requested an extra wild card pick – three in all – for Celtic Manor which proved problematic as no less than five players genuinely merited a place before Pádraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari got the nod with Justin Rose and Paul Casey missing out.

“There will be no extra wild card picks, that much I can tell you,” quipped the new captain, who said he will look into the qualifying process in due course. "If anything I will look to reduce it back to the two picks as before. I think you have to have a qualifying system on merit."

Olazabal, who formed the competition's most successful partnership alongside Ballesteros, said he had spoken to his great friend and the 1997 European skipper about the role.

"Without question the Ryder Cup has given me many memorable times, especially with Seve from the moment we were first partners in 1987 and Europe won in America for the first time," said the double US Masters winner.

"We were unbeaten in 1989 and 1991 and we won our last match together in 1993. I spoke to Seve and I let him know and he was delighted."

Having ended a 28-year spell of US dominance at The Belfry in 1985, Europe triumphed again at Muirfield Village two years later on Olazabal's debut to record their first away win in an event that began in 1927 when the Americans took on Britain and Ireland.

Olazabal's spontaneous jig of joy on the 18th green after that victory in Ohio is one of the Ryder Cup's most memorable moments as his infectious enthusiasm helped sweep away the dusty image that had dogged the sport for so long.

In his remarkable partnership with Ballesteros the duo won 11, halved two and lost just two of their 15 matches.

The Spaniards became the heart and soul of the European team that enjoyed a wonderful run of success on both sides of the Atlantic.

They helped propel the Ryder Cup and European golf to a new level of interest and the pair were instrumental in the competition being held in mainland Europe for the first time when it went to Spain in 1997.

However it has not all been plain sailing for Olazabal, who has been dogged by injury and ill-health which, at its worst, kept him out of the game for two years with rheumatoid arthritis in his feet in the mid-1990s.

His final Ryder Cup appearance as a player came when he won all three of his matches in the record-equalling European victory at the K-Club in Ireland in 2006 and he has struggled to play a run of regular tournaments in recent seasons.

Olazabal was Nick Faldo's assistant in the 2008 event at Valhalla and, having missed out to Montgomerie for the captain's role at Celtic Manor last year, was again brought in as one of Monty’s vice captains.

Several players said they were inspired by his emotional address before the final day's singles in the Usk Valley.

Montgomerie wasted little time in recommending the Spaniard as his successor and he should help continue the wonderful team spirit that has been a key feature of European teams over the years.

The US are set to announce their new captain on Thursday, with Davis Love III expected to succeed Corey Pavin.