Will Jose Maria Olazabal Take the Ryder Cup Job?

That's the big question being wondered in European golf circles.  The 15 member committee that selects the Euro Ryder Cup captain for 2010 is said to favor the two-time Masters champion over Sandy Lyle, according to Golfweek's Alistair Tait.

That committee meets today in Abu Dhabi before this week's European Tour stop in the Middle East to discuss the subject.  If Olazabal wants the job, it's his.  If he doesn't, Tait reports that the committee will wait to make a decision until May's BMW Championship.

So, what's the hold up?

It's that Olazabal still has visions of making the 2010 team as a player.  That is the task to which he would like to pay most attention.  Rheumatoid arthritis had plagued his career, and it is again.  He is hoping to overcome that and make the team as a player.  Hypothetically, he could do that as Captain.  Last year, though, he was 213th on the Euro Tour Order of Merit in six starts.  This year, he sits at 188 on the Race to Dubai list.

At age 42, Olazabal is the lone real contender for the position under the age of 50 - compared to Lyle and Ian Woosnam.