Lee Westwood has his eyes on the Ryder Cup captaincy, with the Englishman saying he would like to lead the Europeans in 2020.

This year's Ryder Cup is still six months away, but Westwood is already looking ahead.

Westwood - a veteran of nine appearances in the biennial competition between Europe and the United States - has been involved in a record seven Ryder Cup victories and the 42-year-old wants to skipper the three-time defending champions as his career winds down.

"I would like to go on a little bit longer," Westwood said. "Two or three years, then think about the Ryder Cup captaincy.

"If I put my name in for the captaincy in four years’ time then I can think about the seniors after that."

Westwood, who will feature at The Masters, added: "The Ryder Cup has been on my mind a lot — mainly because I'm a long way from qualifying for the team and I need to start playing well to justify being there.

"The goal for this year is get some form together and qualify automatically.

"I'm playing a lot after the Irish Open next month and it only takes one or two good weeks and you’re right in there. If it doesn't work out, I'm happy to go along to Hazeltine and gain some captaincy experience as one of the vice-captains.

"Darren [Clarke] has said he was worried about friendships and how they would be affected when it came to his three wildcards.

"I can put his mind at rest. The last thing you want is to get a pick and not justify it.

"If I felt I wasn't playing well enough to deserve a place, I'd tell Darren not to pick me."