Olly on course to captain Europe

THE formal ratification of Jose-Maria Olazabal as captain of the European Ryder Cup team at Medinah next year takes place shortly after lunch today.

And it means the appointment of a first Irishman to hold the coveted position is as far away as ever.

With Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke among a host of eminent players who have strongly endorsed Olazabal’s claims, neither can now be too sanguine about their prospects with new candidates coming on stream every year and likely to put their names in the hat for the match at Gleneagles in 2014.