Harrington lined up as 2020 Ryder Cup captain
PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON has emerged as favourite to lead Europe into Ryder Cup combat in Whistling Straits in 2020. It follows the Dubliner’s selection by Thomas Bjorn yesterday as vice-captain for the September showdown with the United States in Paris — his third successive stint as a support player in the team room. With six appearances in the Ryder Cup and three majors on his CV, the 46-year-old is ahead of his only serious rival, Lee Westwood for the job in two years’ time. For now, Harrington’s focus in on Paris where he has not given up completely on selection. Realistically, he would have to win The Open at Carnoustie again, or two of the €7m Rolex Series events, which begin tomorrow with the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Harrington, Westwood, Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell were named by Bjorn as his four remaining vice-captains. They join Robert Karlsson in a strong backroom unit that carries 26 Ryder Cup appearances and 56 points between them. Harrington and McDowell are major winners while Donald and Westwood have been world number one – the latter has also played in
10 Ryder Cups. ‘I always want to be a part of the European Ryder Cup team, in any capacity and hope that I can make a positive contribution,’ said Harrington. McDowell, 38, hasn’t given up on qualifying for the team and insists it is still a ‘huge goal for me’ but, having dropped outside the world’s top 200, he is running out of time to find the form which made him a Ryder Cup regular from 2008 to 2014. He famously clinched the winning point at Celtic Manor in 2010. As a plus, McDowell has won the French Open twice at Le Golf National and will be able to pass on the benefits of his experiences there to the European team. ‘The idea of playing for a team in a sport which is inherently individual is something special and it is the reason players love the Ryder Cup so much,’ said McDowell. Bjorn has followed the example set by winning captain Paul McGinley at Gleneagles in 2014 by naming five vice-captains. Four can be detailed to follow a specific match on the Friday and Saturday, while the fifth looks after those players left out. ‘You only need to look at the record books to see that their Ryder Cup pedigree speaks for itself. Each of them has played both home and away,’ observed Bjorn.