OLAZABAL IS RYDE MAN

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL is the ideal man to lead Europe’s charge to regain the Ryder Cup in 2010.

That’s the verdict of Paul Casey, one of the defeated European team members set to be quizzed over who should succeed Nick Faldo after America’s 16½-11½ triumph in Kentucky.

Despite a growing bandwagon of support to re-appoint Welshman Ian Woosnam in his homeland in two years’ time, Casey wants Faldo’s vice-captain for the job.

Casey said: “Ollie would be a phenomenal captain and I would love to play for him. He was very, very good last week.

“His rallying cry before the singles had some of us in tears. He produced a speech straight from the heart.

Desperate

“He wanted so much to be playing himself, but he spoke about how he was giving everything he could from his heart to win the cup.

“It was one of those and we were tearing up. And I’m tearing up again thinking about it now.”

Olazabal, 42, is desperate to PLAY in his eighth Ryder Cup. But injury problems look set to prevent him from qualifying for Celtic Manor.

And Thomas Bjorn — chairman of the tournament players' committee admitted: “Ollie is very much a potential captain. He is a very popular man.”