The Niggle: Who'll make the best captain? Clarke or Love?

So we now know that Darren Clarke will go head to head with Davis Love III at Hazeltine National in the 2016 Ryder Cup.

Are the captains good choices for the respective teams? Who do you think will do the better job?

James Savage and Mark Townsend from National Club Golfer give their views

JS – I think it’s some early red on the board for the USA team. Although out of the available candidates, Darren Clarke had the backing of the players and has the best profile in America.

MT – I never really get why a certain character would suit captaining a side in America or otherwise?

JS – Good point. Maybe it’s better to be lower profile? It was said a lot in the build-up to Gleneagles that Tom Watson had the advantage having more prestige in the game than Paul McGinley. Seemed to count for nothing once the matches got underway.
Given the choice I’d rather have Love as a captain, given the choice of players I’d take the Europeans” MT – Mark James won’t be known to anyone over there and yet he built up a 10-6 lead at Brookline, likewise Bernhard Langer isn’t the outgoing personality who supposedly should wow the American galleries – he captained Europe to a record win overseas. It’s an easy generalisation that doesn’t work.

JS – Anyway, back to my original point, Davis Love III did a good job at Medinah and it literally took a miracle to beat him. He got the USA 10-6 up going into the singles and there was little he could do about what happened on that Sunday afternoon.

MT – Other than leaving Mickelson and Bradley out on Saturday afternoon, he did very little wrong. Given the choice I’d rather have Love as a captain, given the choice of players I’d take the Europeans.

JS – It’s a bit early to be taking about players isn’t it? With Reed, Koepka, Fowler and Spieth I think the American’s have more ‘young guns’ coming through. But I agree with you about Love. Clarke has been a loyal servant as a vice-captain but I’m unsure how well he will cope with the emotional drain of the top job. I hope I’m wrong.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHOICES?

WHO WILL BE THE BETTER CAPTAIN?

GIVE US YOUR VIEWS IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW

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