SWINDON golfer David Howell is concentrating on playing himself into contention for next year’s Ryder Cup rather than assisting Team Europe captain Darren Clarke.

Howell was part of the committee that appointed Northern Ireland’s Clarke as the captain to lead the defence of the trophy at Hazeltine National Golf Club – but the Broome Manor man does not believe he is in contention to be a vice-captain.

Instead, with the 39-year-old enjoying an impressive start to his 2015 season, three top-two finishes already to his name and a return to the top 100 in the world rankings, he is now looking be in contention for his third Ryder Cup playing appearance.

“I think there are many people ahead of me,” he said, of his vice-captaincy prospects.

“It is a bit of a new thing but they are very much picking probable future captains to be vice-captains alongside a couple of older guys who are very close to the captain themselves.

“I don’t think I fit the model for either of those in Darren’s eyes at the moment. It might be in the future that someone thinks of me in those ways, but I will be busy trying to make the team.”

Howell, who has missed the cut in his last two tournaments, has also ruled himself out of being a captain of the European side in the near future.

Ahead of turning 40 at the end of the month, he believes he would be way down the pecking order but says that captaining the team is not beyond him in the future, if he enjoys a successful twilight period of his career.

“I think there are a load of guys in front of me, that may not be better qualified in terms of personality but in terms of what they have done and deserving the captaincy I am way down the list,” he added.

“I think I would have to produce an Indian summer and only should I do that would it ever maybe be a possibility.

“But I don’t think I have made it to that point yet.”