In a surprise twist Spain’s Sergio Garcia believes compatriot Miguel Angel Jimenez’s lack of English will rule him out of captaincy contention.

Unlike the mess the USA Team finds itself, the vote for the 2016 European Team captaincy at Hazeltine now seems a clear cut choice between Darren Clarke and Jimenez, the Tour’s oldest champion.

However Garcia, and a veteran of seven Ryder Cups along with being a vice-captain in 2010, believes the five-man committee to choose a successor to Paul McGinley may rule out Jimenez given his poor grasp of English.

Sergio Garcia believes Miguel Angel Jimenez’s lack of English will rule him out of 2016 European Team captaincy. (Photo – www.pgatour.com)

“I have to say I am still savouring a victory a month ago at Gleneagles and haven’t thought much about it but while Darren and Miguel are both good candidates I am just concerned for Miguel, and worried that his English is not good enough to deal with all the pressure that goes with being a European Team captain,” said Garcia.

“I know Miguel’s been a good Ryder Cup player and he’s also been a great Ryder Cup vice-captain but in becoming a Captain is different.

“From the time you get appointed there is more than a year-and-a-half of activities, engagements, interviews and so on a new captain has to deal with.

“So it’s important that everyone he speaks to over that long period understands exactly what he is saying because sometimes words can be misinterpreted, and being a Ryder Cup captain is being the spokesman for the Tour and the sponsors and so on, and then when competition gets underway there’s so many speeches he will have to handle.

“The problem is that if English is not his first language you can try to say something and it comes out so different compared if speaking in Spanish.”