Olazabal wants to be next Ryder Cup captain

Published on Thursday 22 January 2009 22:08

JOSE Maria Olazabal came off the fence last night and declared his willingness to captain Europe against the USA in the next Ryder Cup match at Celtic Manor in 2010.

Having indicated he's ready to succeed Nick Faldo as captain rather than attempt to play his way into the side in Wales, the Spaniard must now wait to learn if the European Tour's tournament committee will offer him the post when they meet in Dubai next week.

Although Olazabal was the players' initial choice to become captain in the aftermath of a heavy defeat under Faldo at Valhalla, the two-time Masters champion needed time to decide whether he wanted to lead or serve at Celtic Manor.

This persuaded a meeting in Abu Dhabi last week to sound out Colin Montgomerie about stepping into the breach. Now Olazabal has also thrown his hat into the ring, the committee has a judgment to make. Do they endorse the Spaniard or hand Celtic Manor to the Scot and give Olazabal the role in 2012?

According to Sergio Gomez, Olazabal's manager, the Spaniard has made up his mind: "He is available. If he is offered the job he will say 'yes'. We know there are factors favouring Jose Maria and factors favouring Monty."

While Montgomerie was originally keen to wait until the 2014 match at Gleneagles, the players have indicated a preference for captains who are active players on Tour.