DAVID Howell is honoured to have been chosen to sit on the new Ryder Cup captain selection panel but believes it moves him further away from getting the top job himself.

The 39-year-old played in bi-annual showdown back in 2004 and 2006 and was on television punditry duties as Europe beat the USA 16½-11½ at Gleneagles last month.

Howell’s appointment to the body that will select the skipper for the 2016 match in Minnesota recognises his standing on the European Tour, where he has plied his trade for 20 years and more than 500 tournaments.

The Broome Manor ace admitted before this year’s event he would love to be playing well enough to feature for Europe, but concedes his appointment to the selection panel probably reduces the likelihood of himself leading Europe any time soon.

Asked how his new role affects his chances of being considered for captaincy, Howell said: “Probably negatively. The reason I was asked to sit on this means clearly I’m not in line in the close future.

“I think there are many candidates ahead of me for many years to come. I don’t think that’s a future for me, it’s almost the opposite. It’s like ‘Howell is not going to be captain soon, so we’ll put him on the committee.”

He is, however, rightly pleased with his appointment to the panel deciding on Paul McGinley’s successor.

“I guess it’s nice to be thought highly enough and respected by my peers to be chosen for the committee,” Howell added.

“Bit by bit, I’m becoming one of the stalwarts of the Tour. I’ve been on it 20 years now so I’m part of the furniture. I remember when just playing on the Tour was a big deal for me.

“It’s just a smaller committee really with three ex-captains (McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie, plus European Tour chief executive George O’Grady) firmly involved. That seems a wise move. They have the most relevant experience of what’s it’s like to be involved.

“As a tour, we’ve picked good captains. That’s not going to change dramatically, we’re not suddenly going to pick someone completely unheard of.”

Howell missed the cut at the washed-out Portugal Masters last weekend and is taking a break before the Shanghai Masters at the end of the month, moving to his winter home in Dubai to spend time with his family and prepare for the European Tour Final Series.