Rival USA captain Davis Love 111 has fired the first salvo in the 2016 Hazeltine countdown by questioning Paul McGinley’s selection of five Gleneagles vice-captains, and what Love 111 indicated was contrary to the ‘Captains Agreement’.

McGinley employed Des Smyth, Sam Torrance, Padraig Harrington and the Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

And in a move that was afterwards applauded, McGinley appointed Smyth to remain with those players not competing on either the morning or afternoon session at Gleneagles.

But in a ‘tongue in cheek’ remark Love 111 brought up the issue of vice-captains after the formalities of Tuesday’s announcement at the nearby head offices of the PGA of America.

Davis Love 111 has a tongue-in-cheek dig at victorious Gleneagles captain Paul McGinley. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

“We’ve joked because it says in the captain’s agreement that both captain’s sign ahead of every Ryder Cup that there should be a maximum of only four vice-captains yet Europe always seems to have five,” said Love 111.

“So when we get to Hazeltine we are going to have a lot of carts and a lot of people in my team as I have learned that Chris Noss can’t make all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by himself.

“I remember we ran out of towels in Wales so I arranged for more to be brought to Medinah.

“So I am going to take advantage of having more inside the ropes working for the US cause and while nobody wants like 150 people in the team locker room you do want guys on the outside.

“So we have learned a lot and that’s what I keep saying:  ‘We’ve learned and we’ve been watching’”.