Tuesday 27 January 2015 19:41, UK
Two senior members of Europe's Ryder Cup team believe the captaincy for next year is a straight shootout between Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
World No 2 Henrik Stenson and sixth-ranked Sergio Garcia - who played major roles in Paul McGinley's victorious team at Gleneagles last year - are convinced the Irishman's successor is a two-way contest.
Speaking ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic, where fellow team-mate Stephen Gallacher is going for three-in-a-row, Stenson said: "Most likely we're going to see a race between Darren and Miguel.
"That's the beauty of being part of the Tournament Players Committee that no longer votes for it. I don't have to put any thought into it, I just have to wait like everybody else until the result comes out."
In previous years, the captain has been chosen by the players but now a five-man panel - which includes former skippers McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie - will select Europe's leader to take on the United States in Minnesota.
"They have enough experience between them to come up with a good decision," added the Swede, who has featured in three previous Ryder Cups.
"I believe they haven't met yet. They haven't managed to get that meeting together so I don't know when it's scheduled to happen."
And his views were echoed by Spaniard Garcia, himself a veteran of seven cups, who said: "I think those are the two big candidates and I think we are all excited to see how it turns out."
Watch the Omega Dubai Desert Classic live on Sky Sports 4 from 10.30am this Thursday.
