Darren Clarke has admitted that it will likely be him or Miguel Angel Jimenez who will be named Europe's next Ryder Cup captain.
Both men were vice-captains to Paul McGinley in the victory at Gleneagles in September and have received backing from major players on the Tour.
McGinley is a member of the five-man panel, which also includes former skippers Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie, that will select his successor, and Clarke has claimed that it is looking like a two-horse race.
"It's not up to me, it's up to the guys on the committee to decide," he told BBC Northern Ireland.
"At the moment it would look as if it's down to two of us, between Miguel and myself, and I'm sure whoever the committee decide will do a great job.
"It's up those guys to determine which one they think is going to be best out of the two of us. Those guys have a lot of experience and, having done it all before - there are three previous captains - we'll see what happens."
The 2016 Ryder Cup will be held at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.
