Pádraig Harrington defends European Tour’s Ryder Cup criteria

Pádraig Harrington has labelled as “silly” a suggestion by Rory McIlroy that the European Tour drop its membership requirement and make the Ryder Cup “the best 12 players from Europe versus the best 12 players from the US.”

While he did not mention the 27-year old Down man by name, the Dubliner vehemently defended the current Ryder Cup qualifying criteria which requires that players hold European Tour membership in order to be eligible for the biennial showpiece.

Quizzed about Europe’s first Ryder Cup defeat since 2008, McIlroy told the No Laying Up podcast “for me, there shouldn’t be anything to do with membership of tours” in the qualifying criteria.