Sandy Lyle must often wonder what it was he did wrong. Were the two major championships not enough? Has his participation on five European Ryder Cup teams been forgotten? Did winning 18 times overall on the European Tour not matter?

We're talking about the Ryder Cup and how the Scotsman seems to be continually dissed -- or dismissed -- when it comes to the captaincy. A decision on the 2010 honor was expected this week in Abu Dhabi, where a 15-player committee led by Denmark's Thomas Bjorn decided to postpone the decision until later this month.

That's all fine and good, as the European side will not start earning points for the matches in Wales until August. But it seems to be because they want to allow Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal more time to make a decision, while they remain willing to bypass Lyle, who knows this is likely his last shot for an honor that should be a slam dunk.

Olazabal is a lock for the captaincy at some point but has said he would prefer to make the 2010 team as a player. Some reports have Olazabal being offered the job, with a two-week period to decide. Trouble is, Olazabal has been battling injuries, and it remains unclear whether he will regain his old form. If he is not going to play, the theory goes, why not make him captain?

Then again, why not give him the job in 2012, when he still will be just 46 and in perfect position to guide the team when the matches return to the United States?

Lyle will turn 51 next month and recently has been more outspoken about taking on the role that has mysteriously passed him by. He is the only one of Europe's big five -- Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo are the others -- not to have gotten the nod. Why?

"It's a difficult one, and I don't know," England's Tony Jacklin said from his home in Florida. The two-time major winner captained the European team four times in the 1980s. "Sandy is a good pal of mine. We were neighbors in Scotland when I lived over there. We used to spend a lot of time together. He's a great guy, but he has a reputation of being a bit out there sometimes, I guess, among the guys. Maybe that makes them a bit nervous; I don't know.

"Sandy's record is fantastic, although it kind of gets buried. He's almost like Billy Casper that way. Nobody had a higher regard for Billy Casper than I had, and he was under Arnold [Palmer] and Jack [Nicklaus]' shadow, and people forgot he won as much as he did. Same for Sandy. For a while, he was a hell of a competitor. So when it comes to this … I don't know."

Know this: In 1985, Lyle became the first Briton to win the British Open since Jacklin did it in 1969. In 1988, he became the first Briton ever to win the Masters. The year prior, he won the Players Championship -- the only European player to win the prestigious title before Sergio Garcia did it in 2008.

Then there's the Ryder Cup. He played on five consecutive teams, starting in 1979. He was part of the team when the once-lopsided affair began to turn around in 1983, followed by victories in 1985 and 1987, the first on American soil.

Lyle's overall record was 7-9, with his singles mark only 1-4, but he went 3-1 in 1987 when the Europeans won 15-13 at Muirfield Village, the visitors' first triumph in America.

It just doesn't make any sense. Sure, Olazabal will be a fine captain and is more than deserving. Woosnam, who captained the team to victory in 2006, also has been mentioned if Olazabal turns down the job, as have Ireland's Paul McGinley, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke and even Faldo, whose recent captaincy was widely criticized in Europe. Woosnam would be a popular choice in his own country of Wales. But why then was Lyle not considered for the post in 2006, letting Woosnam wait until next year?

This is similar to the puzzling treatment of American Larry Nelson, who won three major championships in the 1980s and had a 9-3-1 overall record in three Ryder Cup appearances but twice was bypassed when it appeared he had a good chance.

Both sides have come to dole out the job as a reward for a fine playing career. A glut of good candidates ultimately doomed Nelson, but it doesn't have to be that way for Lyle. Woosnam had his shot in 2006, and the Europeans have not had repeat captains since Bernard Gallacher's run from 1991 to 1995. Colin Montgomerie is said to be in line for the captaincy when the Ryder Cup is played in Scotland in 2014. And let's remember that the Ryder Cup ultimately comes down to players doing their jobs, regardless of the all the banter about captains.

So why not Lyle?

"It's a tough one to put your finger on," Jacklin said.

TIGER'S RETURN

Now that the calendar has turned to the new year and Tiger Woods is hitting balls again, speculation will rage as to when he will return to competitive golf. All sorts of theories already have been discussed.

My colleague Jason Sobel broke it down tournament by tournament and has the return coming in March at Doral. The Associated Press last week surmised it could be the Accenture Match Play Championship in late February. Some have wondered whether he might come back at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in early February.

The thought here is that Torrey Pines would be too good to be true. Certainly Woods would love to come back at the site of one of his greatest triumphs, last June's U.S. Open. And having had so much success there -- four straight victories at the Buick Invitational and six overall -- makes it even more appealing.

But it just seems to be too soon. That tournament is just three weeks away, and unless Woods is really busting it on the range and ahead of schedule -- he said this week on his Web site that he has yet to really bust loose, although he is hitting all the clubs in his bag -- returning at the Buick would seem to go against his desire to make sure he is completely ready.

The Match Play is an interesting thought. First, however, is the issue of wife Elin's pregnancy. She is due sometime in February. But when? If she has the baby in mid-month, is Tiger going to go out and play a golf tournament a week later? And while he is the defending champion, the tournament is moving to a new course in Tucson. If that is not enough to discourage Woods, there is the issue of the tournament format. Sure, he has to defeat only one player a day. But if he is able to have success, does Woods want his first tournament back to entail possible 36-hole matches on the weekend?

A Florida return does make more sense. Whether it is Doral or Bay Hill, both venues are close to his home, places he has had success and flat -- which figures to put less stress on his knee. And the greens are typically pristine, which Woods loves in preparing for the Masters.

None of this is to say Woods won't surprise us and return someplace else. But the gut feeling here is that at this moment, not even Woods is sure of when and where that return will come.

A LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S VENUE

Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, 7,044 yards, par 70

It is pretty rare in this era for an old golf course to remain viable at the professional level. The Sony Open has been played since its inception in 1965 at Waialae (although the tournament wasn't played in 1970), which says something, given the number of courses that have been deemed obsolete by modern technology. In fact, it is interesting to note that when Gay Brewer won the tournament in 1965, the course was listed at 7,234 yards. Now it is nearly 200 yards shorter.

Of course, Waialae is not the most demanding layout the players will see this year. In 1998, John Huston shot 260, 28 under par, to set a PGA Tour scoring record in relation to par. The following year, the course went from par 72 to par 70. Still, Brad Faxon matched Huston's 260 in 2001, although that was "only" 20 under par. David Toms shot 261 three years ago.

Last year, K.J. Choi held the trophy after a final-round 71 gave him a score of 266. Unlike last week on Maui, where wide, generous fairways greeted players at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the Sony has tight, tree-lined fairways and smaller greens.

Bob Harig covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.