Clarke marked as favourite for Ryder captain

Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn were set to discover on Wednesday which of them will have the daunting task of following in Paul McGinley’s footsteps as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.

McGinley’s leadership was unanimously praised after Europe’s five-point win at Gleneagles last September, with Sergio Garcia highlighting the Dubliner’s “modern and meticulous” approach and world number one Rory McIlroy hailing McGinley’s “absolutely immense” influence.