Pádraig Harrington: Donald's Europe will take Rome by storm

HOME COMFORTS: Pádraig Harrington on the practice range at The K Club in Kildare. 

Pádraig Harrington has likened Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team to the European sides that turned the tide against the US in the 1980s.

Three of the world’s top five – Rory McIlroy (2nd), Jon Rahm (3rd) and newly-crowned FedEx champion Viktor Hovland (4th) – feature in Donald’s team in Rome next month, while Matt Fitzpatrick (9th), Tyrrell Hatton (13th) and Tommy Fleetwood (14th) are in the top 15.

Harrington, who was given a “polite rather than necessary” phone call from his vice-captain of two years ago to inform him that he wasn’t going to be one of his wild cards, believes Donald has a wealth of talent at his disposal.

“I think Europe is very strong this year. I think we're back – I believe we're back to the '80s, the '70s where our top players are actually the best players in the world. So I think the team is very strong. I think they're very much in form.” 

That, Harrington points out, is in contrast to his captaincy in Whistling Straits two years ago when the year’s delay impacted the team negatively. “I think we just caught it on our downturn, their upturn. That one extra year of Covid, our team went from peaking to slightly off and never could come back.

“And I said at the end of that Ryder Cup, I said in numerous interviews, many of these players are going to go on to play their best golf going forward, and they have. The US Team were peaking. That extra year got them into a great place.” 

Since his appointment 13 months ago, Donald has picked Harrington’s brain a lot. He is assured the Englishman will put his own mark on the team. “I think people underestimated Luke all his life, and he knows that, too. You don't get to World No 1, you don't do what he has done in the game of golf without being hard-nosed underneath. Just because he's quiet, people don't understand.

“He was a great vice-captain, very impressed, very comfortable as a vice-captain, and I believe he will be a great captain, and I believe he is a great captain.” 

After not being picked for the Ryder Cup in Valderrama 25 years ago having narrowly missed out on an automatic slot when Seve Ballesteros was captain, Harrington could relate with 13th man Adrian Meronk this time around.

“It's tough for Adrian. Lovely player, lovely kid, and he will play Ryder Cups in the future and do well anyway. But it's tough when you miss out.

“I know I missed out in ’97 ultimately by about €13,000. I played with Seve all that summer. All summer I remember playing with him here and all the time, and I seemed to be drawing him, and at the end of it, he didn't really want me on his team, but at the end of it he was very nice and said, ‘You know what, you will have your time.’ I think Adrian will have his time, as well.” 

On his summer practice course, Harrington feels particularly at ease at The K Club this week and determined to become the oldest player to win on the DP World Tour.

“You know, there's not a lot I could do in golf that would change my ceiling. At this stage what I've done in golf, it starts with the Majors, obviously, and things like that, that actually would get on to the page.

“Obviously, if I can win a regular tour event, a European Tour event and become the oldest, from Miguel (Angel-Jimenez) – Phil (Mickelson) obviously, and then Miguel – but it doesn't matter, I'd beat both of them. If I win, I'm the oldest.”