The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ryder Cup skipper is vowing to learn from women’s Ohio glory
Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington will take “everything” from Catriona Matthew’s Solheim Cup victory for Whistling Straits next month – maybe even the winning speech.
The Irishman also said Colin Montgomerie’s 2010 captaincy was a game changer among the Ryder Cups he played as a player. He makes his own wildcard choices on Sunday night after the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
“Momentum, inspiration, what’s not to take?” he said of Monday’s Solheim Cup win. “I was watching and I was thrilled how they did it.
“It definitely helps us. You want all the momentum you can get for us as the Ryder Cup team. They won fair and square. There was no luck involved. That’s the sort of momentum that we would be looking to.
“There were a few things that you looked at in the practical sense. Obviously there was a dominant US crowd compared to our side.
“There’s a few things that we will talk about and adjust and certainly learn from. I tried to learn as much as I could, even copying a few things from Catriona’s speech!”
Harrington was particularly proud of his countrywoman Leona Maguire, whose record performance as a rookie was “great for Ireland, great for Irish sport”.
But now he’s focusing on his own decisions at the end of the last qualifying event for his
Ryder Cup team. “There’s certainly six (players) as it sits at the moment, but there’s a few that could really push their position,” he said.
“There’s players who don’t need to qualify fully
but to have a good week this week. I suppose they
put themselves out there by playing well this week under pressure.
“It’s a lot of scenarios, not just the finishing position here and not just whether they get into the team. A lot of it is to do with how the picks balance up the nine players in the team.”
He and his vicecaptains – Robert Karlsson, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell – had “very much covered” partnerships in foursomes and fourballs.
“It’s not about picking the 10th, 11th and 12th best players on the rankings,” he said. “It’s about picking three players who complement the guys who qualify.”
Having played with so many captains, Harrington paid tribute to his two predecessors Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn, whose “incredibly detailed” approach changed the role, he believes.
“Being a Ryder Cup captain after their legacy is nothing like being a captain before,” he said. “It’s a full-time job now.”
But he had special admiration for Montgomerie’s role in 2010. “I think Monty was the first one who made his team believe they were better than the US team,” he said.