Englishman David Howell has named as the fifth and final member of the selection panel to choose Europe's next Ryder Cup captain.
The 39-year-old, who was part of victorious European teams in 2004 and 2006, was nominated by the European Tour's tournament committee in Portugal last night.
He joins the last three European captains - Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie - and European Tour chief executive George O'Grady on the panel.
Howell's appointment suggests that Thomas Bjorn might be in the running to be captain at Hazeltine in 2016 as he was expected to be the final member of the selection panel.
If the Dane, who last month was part of Europe's winning team at Gleneagles, is to put himself forward for captaincy, he will likely be up against the likes of Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Northern Irishman Clarke is currently the odds-on favourite to lead Europe as they go in search of a fourth consecutive victory in the biennial contest against USA.
A decision is expected to be made early in 2015.
