Colin Montgomerie has called on fellow members of the Tournament Players Committee to vote with their heads and not their hearts at next January’s show of hands for the 2014 Ryder Cup captain.

Monty’s a member of the 15-man committee that will gather ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to vote on a replacement for Medinah Miracle worker, Jose Maria Olazabal.

It already promises to be a long night within the four walls of the stunning 7-star Emirates Palace Hotel, and as nearly as clean cut as four years ago when Monty was voted as 2010 captain.

Colin Montgomerie is hoping his fellow Tournament Players Committee members vote with their head and not their hearts in January’s Ryder Cup captaincy show of hands.

On this occasion there is two candidates, and both Irish and both also members of the Committee – Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke.

However with two of Clarke’s fellow ISM management stable mates on the committee – David Howell and Richard Finch there’s two votes seemingly already in favour of Clarke.

As well, there’s already been unseemly goings on with those pushing Clarke’s claims trying to influence the Committee.

Lee Westwood, and one of Clarke’s closest friends, suggested recently in Turkey, McGinley is ‘good in the team room and would make a good vice-captain.”

There was the outrageous claim that same week and reported in a London-based tabloid, and then denied the next day that Clarke had been approached by the Tour and offered the job when it’s not up to the Tour to do any such thing.

www.golfbytourmiss.com has canvassed six members of last month’s winning Ryder Cup side – Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose – and each believes McGinley would be better suited to Gleneagles.

Clarke, who some years back lambasted the Scottish course, would seem more suited to Hazeltine for the 2016 Captaincy.

And Monty agrees but then trusting the committee as a whole vote with their heads.

He said:  “There is no one else in the mix for the 2014 captaincy other than Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke as they seem to be the favourites.

“I know both Paul and Darren well and either or would make a suitable choice as Ryder Cup captain but then I tend to agree with most that Paul’s best and seemingly only shot is Gleneagles.

“So Paul’s best opportunity is 2014.

“So as I was asked to leave the committee room in January 2009 so too will Paul and Darren be asked to leave the room next January so we can then discuss the merits of each.

“Let’s just hope that when the vote is taken there are those in the room voting for a player and not a fellow management client.

“But it should all be about who is the best man for the job but then I would tend to agree Paul’s best opportunity to be captain is in two years time at Gleneagles.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation that both players are running for the 2014 captaincy and both are both on the Committee, and then both are also Irish given Ireland has never had a Ireland-born Ryder Cup captain.”