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Jose Marie Olazabal. Rui Vieira/PA Archive/Press Association Images
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Ryder Cup: Olazabal wants four vice-captains

The European captain says having “extra eyes” on his players during practice will be essential ahead of Chicago.

CAPTAIN JOSE MARIA Olazabal will choose four deputies for his European team at the Ryder Cup in Chicago in September.

Olazabal will stick to the formula adopted by Colin Montgomerie, who led Europe to victory at Celtic Manor two years ago.

“I am surprised to learn that there have been media reports suggesting that we will have only two vice-captains,” the Spaniard told The Guardian.

“I don’t know where they could have come from or whether there has been some misunderstanding but I want to make it clear that I will be selecting four vice-captains.

“This is what Davis (the US captain Davis Love) and I agreed in Chicago last September.

“I have said many times that as a vice-captain myself in 2008 and 2010 I learned that you need a lot of help that week.

“You need eyes, extra eyes to follow the players in the practice rounds to gather as much information as you can about how everyone is playing.

Then it is important to have each match watched because you have to hand in your pairings for the afternoon matches when the players are still out on the course.

“That means it is absolutely essential to have all the information you can get before you put those pairings down on paper to be handed in.

“I would say it is borderline to do the Ryder Cup with less than four vice-captains. Never at any time have I considered reducing that number to three, let alone two.”

Meanwhile, Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts has climbed from 51st to 32nd in the world after his victory over Graeme McDowell in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.

American Jason Dufner’s second win in three starts, meanwhile, sees him move up to a highest-ever ranking of 14th. Dufner beat compatriot Dicky Pride by a stroke at the Byron Nelson Championship.

Rory McIlroy remains at the top of the rankings, with the Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood in second and third respectively.

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