Perfecting a European union

LATER this evening, Colin Montgomerie and his three Ryder Cup vice captains, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke, will sit down to dinner in Monty’s luxurious home five miles from Gleneagles.

In many ways, they make unlikely guests. Bjorn once described Montgomerie as “an adult behaving like a three year-old” while Clarke has not always been complimentary about the Scot.

However, they insist that is all in the past and they are now working on a common cause – trying to find the best possible European team to take back the Ryder Cup from the United States at Celtic Manor in October.

To do so, they need to agree on the three players from a large list of candidates to fill the all-important “wild card” picks. Monty’s, of course, will be the deciding voice at the table although he has promised to take on board what his guests have to say. And it will help his cause that McGinley, Clarke and Bjorn are all so passionate that he can count on their full commitment and honesty when it comes to arguing their cases.

For all that, though, it is a trying, indeed worrying time for a captain who knows he is going to bitterly disappoint a few friends as he pieces together the ideal European 12 from a wide and impressive array of candidates.

Whether or not Pádraig Harrington is among Monty’s favoured three is the decision of most concern to a Irish fans. Harrington is such an iconic figure that some would regard it as treason to even suggest he should be one of those left at home. However, it must be noted that he has taken only a half point from each of his last 10 Ryder Cup matches. He and Montgomerie shared the opening fourballs against Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk at The K Club in 2006 while he and Robert Carlson finished level in the first round of foursomes at Valhalla two years ago. After that the picture is far from impressive.

Then there has been his less than overwhelming form over the past two years, a spell when he has not managed a tournament win. To counter that, Harrington points out he has finished in the top 10 in 16 tournaments over the past year. That may be the case, but when it came to the majors, he has been a massive disappointment, missing the cut in the Masters, British Open and USPGA this year and finishing 22nd in the US Open.

Second in the 3 Irish Open earlier this month was followed by a share of ninth in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational but much of the good from those two weeks was marred by a disappointing performance at the PGA. In spite of that failure, he was still within touching distance of one of the automatic Ryder Cup places and would surely have forced his way in had he come home to contest either or both of the Czech Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship.

However, he may be lucky enough to escape as the other members of the ‘Fed-Ex Four’ – Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Justin Rose – followed the same course of action. There is a theory the quartet made a pact, believing there was strength in numbers, but the plan collapsed when Casey was eased out of the top automatic nine. That left four seeking three places while back home, players like Peter Hanson, Miguel-Angel Jimenez, Edoardo Romero, Simon Dyson and Robert Karlsson, were trying desperately to get into the side or catch Monty’s eye.

Paul McGinley vowed this week that none of the non-qualifiers had been given a wink and a nod either from himself, his fellow vice-captains or Colin Montgomerie.

That being the case, and with so many fine players clamouring for a spot, Harrington’s place looks to be vulnerable.

I’m not so sure, in fact I believe the opposite to be the case. Monty and Pádraig have been close from the time they beat Phil Mickelson and David Toms 2 and 1 in the fourballs at The Belfry in 2002. They went on to get the better of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in a memorable opening fourball match at Oakland Hills in 2004 and that afternoon they defeated Davis Love III and Fred Funk by 4&2 before seeing off Love and Woods 4&3.

Monty made no secret of his desire to partner Harrington whenever possible and their relationship grew until the Irishman and his wife were invitees at the Montgomerie wedding two years ago at Loch Lomond.

Monty won’t allow personal relationships to influence his thinking but he remains a Harrington man. He isn’t going to leave out a player who has won three major championships as recently as 2007 and 2008.

For me, then, it’s Harrington, Casey and Donald, with Rose and the desperately unlucky Edoardo Romero looking in from the outside.

Unfair? Quite possibly, but five into three doesn’t go and with rookies Rory McIlroy, Kaymer, Francesco Molinari, Ross Fisher and Peter Hanson already in the side, the need for experience is paramount. As Monty stressed: “My remit at the start was to assemble the best 12 players for Europe and that hasn’t changed at all.”