Harrington’s got a target on his back, warns Boo
“He’s got a target on his back — yes, sir,” said Weekley, one of three new caps already in the United States side. Four more could come when captain Paul Azinger names his wildcards on September 2.
“I want to beat anybody and it would be an honour to beat him. I’m ready to go out now. It doesn’t matter who Paul puts me against.”
Justin Leonard, back in the team for the first time since the controversial scenes that followed his 45-foot putt against Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999, said the Irishman’s 66-66 finish to win the US PGA was “almost unimaginable”.
The former Open champion added: “I don’t know about a target on his back, but he’s certainly their best player right now.”
Azinger stated that he was “really happy” he has three more weeks to consider his wildcard selections.
“It would have been very difficult to know what to do,” he said.
“I’ll look beyond friendships and just try to do what’s right and get the best players on this team. I will just reach out to the players that I think are the most confident and playing the best.
“We’ve lost the best player in the game today in Tiger Woods and we are all going to have to step up.
“We are going to take on an underdog role in this Ryder Cup for the first time in a long time but I think the pressure will be on them a little more than maybe it’s going to be on us. We’re playing on our home soil and Europe is going to have kind of everything to lose here in these matches. It’s usually the other way around.”
Meanwhile Nick Faldo has hailed Padraig Harrington’s major double as a huge boost for Europe.
“I was delighted and impressed with Padraig’s performance and he’s going to bring something very special to the team,” said Faldo after watching Harrington and Sergio Garcia finish first and joint second in the US PGA Championship.
“Having the only current major champion at the Ryder Cup will add significant weight to our campaign.”
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