Montgomerie: Clarke favourite

Darren Clarke: Among the favourites for Europe captaincy in 2016

Colin Montgomerie says Darren Clarke is the favourite to be the next Ryder Cup captain but admits there are several candidates for the role.

After Paul McGinley led Europe to a superb 16½-11½ victory over the USA in this year’s competition at Gleneagles, attention has already turned to who will lead the team in America in two years’ time.

Clarke was vice-captain at Medinah two years ago and is the most popular choice for the role, but Montgomerie â€" who was a pundit for Sky Sports during this year’s tournament â€" says the Northern-Irishman has to be sure he will not want to feature as a player.

Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley admits it might be time to step down from the job, while Darren Clarke has thrown his hat into the mix to be McGinl

“I think he’s the bookies’ favourite, if there is one,” the 2010 captain told Sky Sports News. “Provided he feels he isn’t capable of playing and adding to the team in a playing performance.

“This is the problem with Thomas Bjorn, with Lee Westwood, with Padraig Harrington as well â€" are they ready to say they’re not going to play again? Because after you’ve captained it’s very rare to come back as a player.

“Darren’s favourite right now but we will have a think after the next few months and come up with the best candidate.”

The Scot will choose the captain for Hazeltine in 2016 along with McGinley and fellow former captain Jose Maria Olazabal â€" something he believes is a good system.

“There’s a number of great candidates we have in Europe,” he added. “There’s Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez. There’s a load of candidates we have and we’ll discuss it.

“The last three Ryder Cup captains select this now, which I do like. It saves the social media playing it out beforehand and I think it’s very good that Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and myself will select the captain and then it will be announced. It’s as simple as that.

“We will analyse it, we will think about it, we will talk between ourselves and we will come up with the best candidate for the job in two years’ time.”

Unwritten rule

Mickelson openly criticised Watson during USA's press conference

The 51-year-old also criticised the comments from Phil Mickelson, who spoke out against Tom Watson’s style of captaincy, saying the left-hander should not have made his views public.

“I was very disappointed in Phil, really,” he said. “You do not throw your captain under the bus. You honour your captain, you respect your captain. Whatever you say, you say it in private â€" you can close the door and have a good old battle â€" but in public you support your captain.

“It’s an unwritten rule of sport â€" you support your manager, you support your captain, especially when he’s sitting on the same stage as you. That was bordering on embarrassing, and I feel for Tom Watson.

“He’s a 65-year-old man, he did his best. He was selected as the best man for the job by the PGA two years ago and did a great job with what he had to work with, having lost Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Jason Dufner.

“Jordan Spieth’s fantastic and will play many, many Ryder Cups but, wow, does that show you the strength of America that they have to put a 21-year-old rookie out first? Things are in transition for America, but what they must do is get it right next time.

“They must be more competitive and they really must try and win this thing two years hence, but we will do our utmost, of course, to try and retain it.”