Rival Ryder Cup captains here to play the long game

Watching and waiting. They may be occupying different vantage points during the Masters this week but for Ryder Cup captains Paul McGinley and Tom Watson, the task is exactly the same as they scout potential team members for Gleneagles this September.

Europe’s captain McGinley, charged with defending the famous trophy which predecessor Jose Maria Olazabal retained so miraculously at Medinah in 2012, has sworn not to reach any conclusions about the make-up of his team until at least August, giving himself a month to make up his mind on his wildcard choices before qualification closes at the end of that month.

Yet that does not stop him observing the Europeans at every opportunity, and he is doing so this week from the Sky Sports commentary box at Augusta.