McGinley's vote will make Clarke Ryder Cup captain

FROM GOLF.COM 
By NICK MENTA

Darren Clarke will be voted Team Europe's 2016 Ryder Cup captain on Wednesday, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
Per the Telegraph: "Paul McGinley will put aside his personal differences on Wednesday to give Clarke the vote which will carry him over the line in the race to become Europe’s Ryder Cup captain."

McGinley, Europe's 2014 captain, is part of a five-man panel that will select a new captain for the 2016 matches at Hazeltine.
The panel further consists of former captains Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie, outgoing European Tour chief executive George O'Grady and Ryder Cup veteran David Howell.
According to the Telegraph, O'Grady and Howell "will step in only if the three immediate past captains cannot reach a decision."
The report identifies Montgomerie as a clear Clarke supporter while Olazabal will be forced to pick between a friend, McGinley, and a fellow countryman, Miguel Angel Jimenez, the other leading candidate. That likely leaves McGinley as the deciding vote.
Friends for years, McGinley and Clarke drifted apart, according to the Telegraph, "after Clarke moved back to Portrush following the death of his first wife, Heather. 
But the real split occurred after McGinley perceived Clarke as going back on a promise to allow him free run at the 2014 captaincy."
McGinley has maintained following Team Europe's win at Gleneagles that he would try to respect the players' wishes in selecting a new captain. Team veterans Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have all expressed their support for Clarke.
Clarke served as a vice captain under both Montgomerie and Olazabal in the 2010 and 2012 matches but did not under McGinley in 2014. As a player, Clarke competed on five consecutive teams from 1997 to 2006, compiling a 10-7-3 record en route to four European victories.

... BUT ALISTAIR TAIT THINKS O'GRADY HOLDS THE 

KEY TO THE 2016 TEAM CAPTAINCY

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM

Past captains Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie; player representative David Howell; and European Tour chief executive George O’Grady will decide the next European captain at a meeting at the European Tour headquarters at Wentworth.
Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez are the two main candidates. As stated in this column previously, O’Grady might need to cast the deciding vote.
Olazabal can be expected to vote for his compatriot. McGinley might be inclined to lean that way too. He and Clarke aren’t bosom buddies after Clarke tried to scupper McGinley’s candidacy two years ago.
Montgomerie might be inclined to lean towards Clarke, since the 2011 Open champion campaigned to have the Scot reinstated as captain for last year’s match.
Howell is a member of the European Tour’s tournament committee and is supposed to represent the players’ views. However, he will naturally lean Clarke’s way since they have a long relationship as members of Chubby Chandler’s ISM stable.
Over to you then, George!