Golf:Jose Maria Olazabal's appointment as Europe's next Ryder Cup captain is set to be announced in Abu Dhabi tomorrow morning. The PGA of America have called a press conference for Thursday where Davis Love is expected to be confirmed as the United States skipper.

World number one Lee Westwood hailed Olazabal on the eve of the Spaniard's expected appointment. In recent years the new European captain for the biennial team event has been voted on at a formal 15-man Tournament Players Committee meeting.

That has not been necessary this time with chairman Thomas Bjorn conducting a phone poll over the Christmas period and the popular Olazabal becoming a unanimous choice to succeed Colin Montgomerie after last year's win in Wales.

"Jose Maria has been a great Ryder Cup player and when he was involved with the vice-captaincy at Valhalla (in 2008) and at Celtic Manor (in 2010) he's been superb," Westwood said today. "When Jose Maria conducts a team talk or motivational talk everyone listens. He will bring leadership, experience and passion and is going to be fantastic when he leads the team at Medinah."

Olazabal has played in seven Ryder Cups and combined with his good friend Seve Ballesteros to form the most successful partnership in the team event, winning 11, halving two and losing two of their 15 matches together.

His last appearance was at the K Club five years ago — he won all his three games there — but after that he served as Nick Faldo’s assistant in Louisville and then joined Montgomerie’s backroom team at Celtic Manor last October.

Unexpectedly, the European captain is set to be announced before the American one. That is usually done within a few weeks of the previous match, but although Davis Love was linked before Christmas with the job there has been no official confirmation yet.

Love was one of Corey Pavin’s assistants in Wales, where Europe regained the cup by a single point thanks to Graeme McDowell’s nail-biting win over Hunter Mahan.