Harrington must move fast as Ryder Cup looms

AT a time when it seems like everything is going according to plan for the European Ryder Cup team, it is more than a little ironic and disturbing that Pádraig Harrington finds himself struggling for one of the eight automatic places in Colin Montgomerie’s team.

He is now seventh in the world points list from which four qualify and 14th in the European section from which another five go forward to Celtic Manor in the first week of October. The three-times major champion would not be at all popular with Monty should he not automatically make the side and last night Harrington admitted that he was more than a little concerned at his present situation.

“It’s tough to get into the top four in the world rankings because you have a number of players who have been doing very well and dominated in that area,” he accepted. “I’m pushing quite close in the money list but need a few good performances there too and it’s a precarious position because there are a lot of good players who aren’t in the team.