Lee Westwood wants the chance to captain Europe at the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits after saying he has only another two to three years left as a player.
Westwood has played in nine Ryder Cups and is fourth on Europe’s all-time list of points scorers in the event, only two points behind Nick Faldo.
Though he has never won a major, finishing in the top three eight times, the 42-year-old Westwood only sees himself competing as a player for a few more years before putting his name forward for the captaincy.
“I’d like to go on a little longer,” Westwood said.
“Two or three years, then think about the Ryder Cup captaincy. If I put my name in for the captaincy in four years’ time then I can think about joining the Seniors Tour after that.”
Westwood is keen to play in September’s Ryder Cup in Hazeltine, Minnesota but has reassured current captain Darren Clarke he need not worry their friendship would be damaged if he was not selected due to poor form.
“Hazeltine is in my mind for different reasons and naturally I want to play,” he said.
“But I read somewhere that Darren is worried about friendships and making picks. I can put his mind at rest. Your past record only counts if you are playing well. I’d say to Darren, even before he contemplated it, not to select me if I wasn’t playing well.”
Not that Westwood would sit at home if not selected. He would look to make the trip as a vice-captain and pick up experience he would hope to use in 2020.
“My goal is to qualify you only need one or two good weeks and you’re right in there,” he said.
“If not, I’m happy to go along and get some captaincy experience as vice- captain. When you’ve played in nine Ryder Cups you’ve got the respect of the players and you feel you can help.
“I’ve played under nine different captains so have experienced all there is to experience in that regard.”