Forget about having an Irish captain of the European Ryder Cup team in 2006.

That's the view of the K Club's multi-millionaire owner Dr Michael Smurfit.

He said: "It's hard to see who that Irishman would be in the year 2006.

"Who is going to be playing on the tour? You're going to have Padraig and Darren, who hopefully will be playing on the Ryder Cup team and I think a playing captain has long been disregarded."

The European Tour Players' Committee will recommend two names to the Ryder Cup committee when they meeting at Open championship in Sandwich in two weeks' time

And it now looks certain that it will be left to Germany's Bernhard Langer and Welshman Ian Woosnam to carve up the job between them for the next two Ryder Cup matches.

Langer has said that he would love to captain the side at Oakland Hills in Michigan next year, which would see Woosnam take the job at the K Club.

If that happens it would mean disappointment for Irish hopes Des Smyth, Christy O'Connor Jnr and Eamonn Darcy.

Smurfit added: "Des or Eamonn Darcy or Christy O'Connor Jnr - all famous in their own right - I would love to see an Irish person captain it in Ireland.

"But it doesn't have to be an Irishman. It was a Scotsman after all who captained Europe in the Belfry and what a job he did - an unbelievable job.

"We'll have to wait and see but my feeling is that it won't be coming to an Irishman."

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© Brian Keogh 2003

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