Bob may need to follow the Italian Job to be one of Padraig’s picks
Edoardo Molinari reckons Bob Macintyre may have to take a leaf out of his book if he’s to make Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
Like Molinari did with Colin Montgomerie in 2010, the young Scot will have to make captain Padraig Harrington a golfing offer he can’t refuse.
The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – which tees off on Thursday – is the last counting event to decide the nine automatic qualifiers before Harrington names his three wildcards.
Macintyre is currently in 13th place on the automatic list. However, his performances at The Masters – where he finished in the top 12 – and his tie for eighth at The Open have put him firmly in contention for a pick.
But there are some big names competing against him to catch Harrington’s eye.
Major winners Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, along with Ryder Cup specialist Ian Poulter, are in the same boat.
And, speaking from experience, Molinari knows Macintyre is not in an easy position.
“Bob is a great player, and he deserves a spot,” the Italian – who won a car after a hole-in-one at the Italian Open on Thursday – toldthesundaypost.
“But he will have to earn it – or get very close to it – because it’s more difficult for him than those other players.
“It’s much harder for a rookie to get a pick, and even more so for a Ryder Cup in America.
“The captain will tend to go for older, more experienced guys. If they have been playing over there for years, they will know the course conditions, and have a better feel for it.
“If they’ve been there before, that helps ahead of the biggest
event in golf. So Bob may well have to do what I did when I got picked by Colin.”
Eleven years ago, heading into the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, all the talk was of which name Monty would have to leaveout.
It looked like four from three out of Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Justin Rose, with Monty stating he did not want to pick a rookie.
But Molinari was a man on a mission, and desperate to join younger brother, Francesco, on the European team for Celtic Manor.
Edoardo produced some sublime golf to lift the title in dramatic fashion, and Monty couldn’t leave him out. So the Italian was picked alongside Harrington and Donald.
“I was playing well that summer, and I had won the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond the month before,” recalled Molinari.
“I really felt I was due one of those spots as I was playing well. I had only joined the Tour in January, so I had lost three or four months of qualifying.
“Going into the event, I was in the world top-50, and having a good season. I thought finishing in the top three could be enough.
“If I did that, I thought it would it be difficult for Colin not to pick me – but it would be near impossible if I won.
“So to lifting the title by birdieing the last three holes in front of the captain, and the vicecaptains, was unbelievable.
“With Francesco already in the team, I wanted to share the experience with him, and that extra motivation made me play even better.”
The brothers played their part in Europe’s success in Wales, playing together in both the foursomes and fourballs, as Edoardo carried his momentum with him.
And he knows that from Harrington’s own experience, the Irishman will want players on top of their game at Whistling Straits in a few weeks’ time.
“It was good pressure for me because I had been playing well for weeks,” he said. “I never felt overwhelmed.
“I remember playing with Padraig a few years ago, and he talked about one Ryder Cup where he went in not playing well.
“He said the pressure was immense, like being in contention for a Major on a Sunday, but not having his A-game.
“Padraig was struggling. Yet he said that when he had his best game with him in the Ryder Cup, they were some of the best times of his life.”