ATTACK CLONES
Padraig: Americans copied Europe after a painful Gleneagles defeat and finally got their revenge
CRESTFALLEN captain Padraig Harrington admits his European Ryder Cup team were beaten at their own game by the Americans.
The Irishman yesterday returned to regular competition with a three-over 75 at a windswept Carnoustie on day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is played across three courses.
Europe’s captain found himself being warmed on the Scottish course – where he captured the first of back-to-back Open titles in 2007 – with players and spectators alike extending praise of his efforts.
It was a good pick-me-up on the back of his Europeans losing by a whopping 10 points on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Now the dust has settled, Harrington has put the American triumph down to what they learned from Europe in their bitter demise at Gleneagles in 2014.
The 50-year-old said: “They now carry out everything we’ve learned.
“Europe showed how to seize the initiative and the States have caught on.
“Every little bit of innovation Europe has introduced to gain an edge, they have now – even down to trying to put their weakest pairs against our strongest. That’s another statistical way of doing things.
“All the little niches Europe found as our strength were there last week at Whistling Straits. They just copied what Europe has done.”
As a now former captain, Harrington will join the five-man European Ryder Cup committee on which the events of last week will be mulled over ahead of naming a skipper later this year for Rome in 2023.
Harrington said: “The debriefing will not be based on the competitive side but focus more on the organisational side.
“I assume any competitive debrief will be with the next captain. I’ll ask him to be involved along with a vice-captain”
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, Spain’s Adri Arnaus, Englishman Tyrrell Hatton and China’s Haotong Li lead the £3.7million event by one after eight-under 64s.
Glaswegian Ewen Ferguson heads the 11-strong home contingent after a 65 at Carnoustie, while Bob MacIntyre made it off Kingsbarns with a three-under 69.