European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke will gain pre-Hazeltine leadership experience when named Monday morning UK time by the European Tour as a rival captain in the 2016 EurAsia Cup.

The second staging of the now biennial Eurasia Cup will take place in March next year and again in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Clarke’s Asian rival will be good friend and fellow ISM client Jeev Milkha Singh, a four-time European Tour winner.

Darren Clarke to be named Monday morning UK time as a 2016 EurAsia Cup captain.

The EurAsia Cup has now replaced the Seve Trophy and Royal Trophy as a big stepping stone for European-born players vying for selection in the Ryder Cup.

The now defunct Seve Trophy, staged every two years from 2000 to 2013, proved a strong breeding ground with 37 of the sum total of the 76 GB & I and Continental Europe competitors going on to play in a Ryder Cup.

India’s very popular Jeev Milkha Singh to lead the Asian team next March. (Photo – Stuart Adams/www.golftourimages.com)

One of those was Paul McGinley who also was a three-time winning Seve Trophy captain and a treble winning vice-captain before then steering Europe to victory a year ago at Gleneagles.

And five members of the 10-man 2014 European EurAsia Cup side that drew with Asia two years ago, including Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher, went on six months later to qualify for McGinley’s Ryder Cup team.

“It’s not only a great honour to be asked to captain the European EurAsia Cup but it’s a great opportunity to get a close hand look at some younger guys who are doing well on the Tour who could possibly qualify for the Ryder Cup team,” said Clarke.

“I was planning to be out in K.L anyway but now in accepting the captaincy role I will get more interaction with the players, and players I could very well be taking with me to Hazeltine later next year.”