Harrington ‘less keen’ on leading Europe

Pádraig Harrington wants to play in the 2016 Ryder Cup but admits he was so daunted by Paul McGinley’s sensational captaincy that he is now "less keen" to be captain himself.

Harrington was called in at the 11th hour to be one of McGinley’s five assistants at Gleneagles but having once believed the vice-captains were on “a jolly” he had his eyes opened as to the huge level of commitment required from the man who leads Europe.

Taking himself out the running for the captaincy at Hazeltine in Minnesota in two years’ time, Harrington agreed that Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn were among the top candidates for 2016, adding: “Not me anyway.”

Confessing he was hugely impressed by the work McGinley carried out behind the scenes, Harrington said: “There were a lot of things that the captain had to do. I don’t think anybody who is in not in that position can understand the decisions that are made behind the scenes.

“There is a lot of domino effects to decisions; knock-on effects and things like that. There were just a lot of decisions full stop. My head is swimming a bit at the moment so I can’t even explain it now.”

While he still wants to be captain, Harrington admitted: “I’m less keen than I was before. It does make you less keen. It is a lot harder than you think. There is a lot that goes on.

“As good a captain as Paul was, at one stage in the singles it looked as if it could have turned against him. It is tough. There was a stage where we were struggling to find our four and a half points. I really felt for Paul at that stage.

“He was a great captain and I’m thrilled for him but if he had lost it wouldn’t have been the same. History looks at captains who were poor and won, and said they were great.

“Other captains who weren’t great have won and other captains who were good have lost and they are regarded as not being good captains. So I am absolutely thrilled for Paul.”

Insisting he is no more determined to make the 2016 team than he was before Gleneagles, Harrington added: “This doesn’t give me any motivation whatsoever to be on the team. I was already motivated. This doesn’t change my mindset in the least.”