Pádraig Harrington: ‘We’ve pushed Americans into caring about the Ryder Cup’

Pádraig Harrington believes the United States’ desperation to win a first Ryder Cup since 2008 is “the greatest compliment” to European golf.

A three-time Ryder Cup winner from five appearances for Europe between 1999 and 2008, Harrington will reprise his 2014 role as a vice-captain to Darren Clarke this week at Hazeltine National in Minnesota as the Americans bid to end a run of three successive defeats.

Team USA have lost eight of the last 10 Ryder Cups, their wins on home soil in 1999 at Brookline and 2008 at Valhalla their only highlights in a period of European dominance. The lack of success, culminating in a 16.5 to 11.5 defeat at Gleneagles two years ago that saw veteran player Phil Mickelson publicly lambast US captain Tom Watson during the losers’ press conference, sent the PGA of America back to the drawing board, forming a task force in an attempt to stop the rot.