Miguel Angel Jimenez waffling on 2016 Ryder Cup captaincy
Miguel Angel Jimenez wants to be Ryder Cup captain in 2016, but he doesn't want to stop competing on the European Tour. The Mechanic fears if he does the former, the latter will come with it.
Jimenez told Ten-golf in his native Spain that he's waffling on the idea of leading the European team into Hazeltine in two years because the toll the commitment might well take on his game.
“I see myself in the mix (for the 2016 captaincy),” Jimenez said, as translated by Irish Golf Desk. Jimenez and 2011 Open winner Darren Clarke are the likely contenders for the job, with many players, including Rory McIlroy, throwing their weight behind Clarke.
Jimenez continued, “But what happens is that if you dedicate yourself to being captain, your game is possibly going to deteriorate because there is so much to do. And I want to compete.”
The 50-year-old Spaniard won for the third straight season on the European Tour, taking his national open. He's the oldest winner in European Tour history, surpassing his own record several times. After finishing a career-best fourth in the Masters in April, Jimenez stayed in Georgia to win in his Champions Tour debut at the Greater Gwinnett Championship. In other words, Jimenez is still getting it done and isn't convinced putting that aside to lead Europe to a potential fourth-straight Ryder Cup win is worth it.
With Clarke in the driver's seat, this may be a way for Jimenez to posture politely out of the way. And with the 2018 Ryder Cup in France -- and not in Great Britain, Ireland or Spain -- for the first time, Jimenez could be the perfect captain in four years' time.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
