Harrington is expecting new, fresh look to his Ryder Cup side

PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON expects “fresh faces” in his team as the European Ryder

Cup qualifying race resumes at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The Dubliner (49) is joined by a host of potential Ryder Cup players with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell looking to begin 2021 with a win.

While points are multiplied by 1.5 until May, then doubled for the remainder of the campaign, Harrington also knows experienced campaigners such as Justin Rose (40), Henrik Stenson (44), Ian Poulter (45), Sergio Garcia (41), Lee Westwood (47) or McDowell (41) could miss out.

“A few older guys who are coming to the end of their careers and would have made the team in 2020, won’t make the team in 2021,” said Harrington (above). “They are going to be replaced with new, young, fresh faces.”

Powerful

With world No 14 Viktor Hovland and Open champion Lowry likely to be high-powered rookies, the addition of veterans would make for a powerful mix.

“These are the sort of guys you want, guys who have enough stature on the first tee that the US guys are going to be concerned and maybe can get inside their heads,” Harrington said of the golden oldies.

“Wouldn’t I love to have Lee Westwood there in playing form? Clearly, Ian Poulter deserves a pick. If he has still got two legs, he deserves a pick by the time the Ryder Cup comes around in 2021.

“And Sergio Garcia, he loves the Ryder Cup. So you are talking of older players there, but there is a good selection to pick from. There are probably six of them that will end up splitting four places on the team.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Na claimed his fifth PGA Tour victory when he carded a five-under-par 65 on Sunday to win the Sony Open in Hawaii by a shot from Chris Kirk and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann.

Séamus Power missed the halfway cut and is 10th reserve for The American Express at La Quinta this week, where Na is joined by Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Francesco Molinari and world No 2 Jon Rahm.

On the PGA Tour Champions, Darren Clarke returns to action on Thursday in the 54-hole Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.