It's not like Lowry and Harrington won't have much to talk about Sunday at Kiawah

Irish pair partnered for final round of US PGA as they bid to shorten the distance between them and leader Phil Mickelson (and maybe sort a Ryder Cup issue or two)

SCARY 17th: Padraig Harrington plays the devilishly difficult par 3 17th at Kiawah Island Resort's Ocean Course. On Sunday, he will partner his compatriot Shane Lowry in the final round.

KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA – The Ryder Cup has certain unwritten rules, a generally accepted one being that rookies need to earn their way into an automatic spot for their first appearance.

European captain Padraig Harrington doesn’t believe that condition necessarily applies to countryman, friend and still reigning Open champion, Shane Lowry. And, by the way, his playing partner in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course.

“I think, in general, rookies have to play their way into a spot,” Harrington conceded when asked about Lowry’s potential prospects for receiving one of his three captain’s picks for the team that will face the Americans at Whistling Straits in September. 

“Nobody really refers to Shane as a rookie. He's a major winner, so that's a completely different scenario.” 

At present, Lowry ranks fourth behind Robert MacIntyre, Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia on the World points list among players outside the top-nine spots that automatically qualify for Team Europe. Like Lowry, MacIntyre has never played in the biennial match.

Right behind Lowry in World points is Ryder Cup veteran Justin Rose and much further back is European stalwart Ian Poulter. Harrington will get to pick three players in September to fill out his roster. Of the players currently holding the top nine spots in the European and World points, two would be Ryder Cup rookies – Viktor Hovland of Norway and Victor Perez of France.

Lowry is the most recent European golfer to win a major - at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush - and counts a WGC victory at Firestone in 2015 among his five career European Tour wins. He’s 34 years old and a veteran of 32 major starts with five top-10s including runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

GOOD GAME: Shane Lowry: "I think if I can get it back into red figures, I think it would be a very good tournament."

Harrington insists that “the best thing” his prospective European players can do in the next four months before the Ryder Cup is “win majors and the Olympics.” 

That’s why Lowry, who has recently posted his best finishes in the Players Championship (eighth) and Masters (T21), possesses the kind of resume that might justify a rookie waiver.

“Again, that's what I'm saying, there's no rules to these things because you have to take these things into consideration,” said Harrington, who like Lowry, shot a 1-over 73 on Saturday to each sit tied 23rd at +1.

“And the fact that (Shane’s) a big-time player, he likes the big occasion … even as a rookie he's not going to be starstruck, is he?” 

Points on both the European and World lists are worth double between now and the September deadline.

“Thankfully for me I've got half a dozen guys trying to impress me right now,” Harrington said.

Sunday they’ll have plenty to talk about when the friends play together in the final round at the Ocean Course.

“Live to fight another day, try and go out and shoot a decent score (Sunday) and have a good week,” said Lowry. “I can still sneak a top 10 out of it or a top five or a good finish if I can shoot sort of -4 or -5.” 

Said Harrington: “I showed some nice form the first two rounds … I should have been a lot better after two rounds. Did't play as well today but worked it around there to shoot 1-over par, which was a good return for the way I played. Hopefully (Sunday) I'll come out and my head will be in a better place, that I make a few more birdies, and we'll see how we can do.” 

RYDER POSER: Harrington insists that “the best thing” his prospective European players can do in the next four months before the Ryder Cup is “win majors and the Olympics.” 

Lowry again struggled to make anything happen at the Ocean Course. He was 3-over on the day through 15 holes before making his only birdies of the day at the par-5 16th and treacherous par-3 17th.

“I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed because I feel like I had a round in me today, especially where I drove the ball to,” he said. “I feel like there's a good score out there. I think I only missed a couple of fairways, and I finished strong. I kept battling.” 

Coming off posting his best career finishes at the Players Championship (eighth) and Masters (T21), Lowry will have to do something special to improve on his career-best T8 two years ago in the PGA at Bethpage.

“I think if I can get it back into red figures, I think it would be a very good tournament,” Lowry said. “I'll go away probably thinking, ‘God, what if?’ Ifs and buts. But I've just got to do the same thing.

“I feel like I'm playing great. Coming into big tournaments, coming into majors and bringing your best golf, it's quite pleasing. I feel like I had that. If I had holed a couple more putts in the first round, a couple more putts today, it could have been a whole different ballgame this week."