Ryder Cup spot not a priority for Harrington

FEW professional golfers are on top of their act as much as Pádraig Harrington so it will be the wish of all Irish fans that he knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to playing himself into the European Ryder Cup for the fifth successive year at Valhalla, Louisville, Kentucky on September 19-21.

It would certainly come as a shock to the system should this country fail to supply any member of the team to take on the Tiger-less Americans given that we have provided a highly influential trio to each of the last three successful teams. At the moment, Graeme McDowell is the only Irish player in the automatic ten positions and even he is clinging on to the final spot by his finger nails.

It certainly didn’t help the Ulster man’s cause to miss the cut in the BMW International in Munich at the weekend. He tries again in the French Open starting at Le Golf National on Thursday but McDowell’s recent form has been way below what we have come to expect and on his own admission, he has been struggling with his game for quite some time.