It’s that time of year when European Tour golfers are perusing the rankings with greater interest.

Pádraig Harrington’s omission from the European Ryder Cup team ends a run which began in 1999 with his debut in the infamous Battle of Brookline.

Even though the Ryder Cup at Medinah is only a month away, massive interest has already switched to the identity of the European captain for the 2014 clash at Gleneagles.

It seems outrageous, but there is a strong belief a festering nine-year-old spat with the present European Ryder Cup captain could cost Pádraig Harrington one of Jose-Maria Olazabal’s two ‘wild card’ picks on the European team to face the Americans at Medinah on September 28-30.

Pádraig Harrington has his last chance of making the European Ryder Cup team when he travels to Kiawah Island this week in search of a second US PGA Championship.

A little sooner than he would probably have preferred after his British Open meltdown, Adam Scott renews rivalry with Ernie Els in this week’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club.

With the top two spots on the leaderboard held by a South African and an Australian, the British Open provided considerable food for thought for the rival Ryder Cup captains Davis Love III and Jose-Maria Olazabal.

Zach Johnson won a play-off for the John Deere Classic on the US PGA Tour on Sunday when he drilled a six-iron from a fairway bunker to within 12 inches of the cup.

Irish golf fans are keeping a close eye on our links courses this week to see if any of the game’s finest pay a visit ahead of next week’s British Open.

Despite his many fine performances in recent weeks, including top 10 finishes in the Masters along with the US and Irish Opens, Pádraig Harrington is still a long way off clinching one of the automatic 10 places in Europe’s Ryder Cup team to face the United States at Medinah in October.