Who will lead Europe in the next Ryder Cup?

After suffering their first defeat in the Ryder Cup since 1999, there is much speculation about who will captain the European team in a couple of years time. Several names seem to have been put in the hat as Europe look to respond to their heaviest defeat in 27 years of Ryder Cup golf.

Nick Faldo, of course, was the man who lead Europe in Valhalla earlier this year. However, he received heavy criticism from the press in Europe about how he handled such an important role. The way he saved his best players until last on singles day came under massive scrutiny for example.

There were also concerns about how he handled the media as he embarrassingly tried to cover up his pairings being leaked by saying they were the teams ‘sandwich orders’. With this in mind, perhaps it is a surprise that Faldo has stated that he would ‘jump at the chance ‘ to retain the role.

So, the Englishman is already putting his name back in the hat - but who else could succeed him as European captain? Well, the most likely according to the golf odds is Bernhard Langer. The German led Europe to victory in 2004 and has admitted that he wasn’t a fan of Faldo’s tactics this time around.

Speaking about a possible second stint as captain, Langer said that he ‘hasn’t been asked’ as yet and he will only consider returning to the role ‘if the committee decides’ to approach him. Overall, it seems that Langer is very open to what the future may bring.

Other people tipped to be in contention for the captaincy at Celtic Manor in 2010 are Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Jose Maria Olazabal. There is certainly no shortage of capable contenders for the role and that has to be encouraging for European golf fans. A big decision will need to be made in the not too distant future.

By Thomas Rooney - A sports writer who blogs about golf betting