Ryder Cup

European captain Darren Clarke dropped a massive hint about his pairings for the opening session of the Ryder Cup on the final day of practice.

Clarke said on Wednesday he was almost 100 per cent certain of his line-up for Friday's foursomes and that certainly looked to be the case with the three groups sent out at Hazeltine.

Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, who won all three of their matches together at Gleneagles - including the opening one of the contest - were in group one alongside Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan.

McIlroy and Sullivan played together in the final round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last November, as well as during practice rounds for this year's major championships.

Group two featured Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Danny Willett and Lee Westwood, with stablemates Willett and Westwood - who were first and second in the Masters in April - a likely pairing.

The final group contained rookies Chris Wood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Thomas Pieters.

Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters have been named as wildcards for the Ryder Cup by Europe's captain Darren Clarke.

European captain Darren Clarke has named Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie as three of his vice-captains for this year's Ryder Cup.

Bjorn performed the same role alongside Clarke in 2010 and 2012, while Harrington was one of five vice-captains to Paul McGinley at Gleneagles in 2014.

Former Open champion Lawrie, who played in the defeat at Brookline in 1999 and the 'Miracle at Medinah' in 2012, will make his debut in the backroom staff at Hazeltine as Europe seek an unprecedented fourth straight victory and ninth in the last 11 biennial contests.

The Italian capital city of Rome will host the Ryder Cup for the first time in 2022, Ryder Cup Europe has announced.

Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain all bid to host the event but the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, 17km from the centre of Rome, was eventually chosen.

Darren Clarke will be Europe's captain at the next Ryder Cup, it has been confirmed.

Ian Poulter has revealed he would "love" to captain Europe in the Ryder Cup some time in the future.

The 38-year-old has been one of the continental side's key players in recent editions of the biennial contest, most notably at Medinah in 2012 when he inspired a brilliant European comeback.

Poulter has played in the Ryder Cup five times with his fourth win coming at Gleneagles in September.

He told BBC Sport: "Hopefully, I've got another 10 years in me before I ever get asked.

"If I was ever asked to be captain then yes, I'd love to be a captain of a Ryder Cup team."