Padraig Harrington has warned prospective members of his European Ryder Cup group there’ll be”no excuses” for not playing in the BMW PGA Championship next year.
Qualifying to the group begins finishes and this week at Wentworth next September, shortly before Harrington takes his side to defend the Ryder Cup from the Team USA of Steve Stricker.
Harrington is thrilled to see a stellar area teeing it up in the West Course this week, headlined by Rory McIlroy, and he’s intent on seeing more of the exact same a year from now when positions on his group for Wisconsin are very likely to still be picked.
“This is a massive part of why it’s starting this week and why it’s ending in the BMW PGA Championship,” said Harrington, shortly after hammering Robert Karlsson as his first assistant captain. “Here is the flagship event in Europe and the players develop and take it.
“This is our largest European event, it is the one you are interested in being there. This year you’re guaranteed to get a discipline, which isn’t only important, but it’ll be extremely important come this time that we have the players playing with with the previous event.
“If there are places still to be decided, each player will likely be going up against other great players who week and there will not be any explanations. You ca turnaround and say,’well, I don’t wish to come to this event; it is not enough’.
“This ultimately will cause no explanations following year, as everyone will soon be here who wishes to get on the group. And it is a golf course now, it really is now. They’ve created the improvements and everyone loves it and it’s a real good golf course and it’ll produce fine drama, which is precisely the form of golf course we are going to be testing the players on.”
Harrington also emphasized the value of having rookies on the group, together with the likes of Open champion Shane Lowry and Matt Wallace among those likely to create their own Ryder Cup debuts.
“We want rookies,” Harrington added. “how can you get the atmosphere and buzz on the group? You need guys there just thrilled to be eager and there, and the older men possess the ability handle and to assist a participant. That’s the beauty of this Ryder Cup, to have rookies on the group.
“Certainly you would not want to enter there using 12 rookies and when two rookies qualify, I’ll be picking three experienced guys. So we will not be going in with 12 rookies, however you desire a mix because it has been made by the rookies for Europe through recent years.
“These are the guys that come out and they all glow. I’m hoping for a wonderful balance on the team, and everything I get, the nine guys who qualify will deserve to be there, and it is my job to choose three men to balance them out, and then it is myself, Robert and the other vice-captains’ jobs to get the maximum out of them when we are there during the week”

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