McGinley says Irish must earn call-up

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley last night insisted there will be no special dispensations for Irish players when he finalises his team to face the USA at Gleneagles in September.

“All my decisions are from a European Team perspective and not from an Irish perspective,” McGinley vowed ahead of today’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

His comments came on the back of questions about the impressive form of Pádraig Harrington in finishing fifth at the Volvo Champions event in Durban. Harrington has not featured for the continent since his controversial ‘wildcard’ selection by Colin Montgomerie at Celtic Manor in 2010. The effort saw Harrington move into 43rd on the European Points List with 219,405 points but a massive 1,224,354 adrift of Jamie Donaldson holding the fourth and final place from those who will qualify for the Ryder Cup.