Harrington praises Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn

Pádraig Harrington was in a room off the foyer of the Merrion Hotel on Tuesday evening when his phone vibrated.

“Do you know who that is? It’s Thomas Bjorn. Do you mind if I take the call?” And so it was that the two players, who’d once fought it out for ‘rookie of the year’ honours back in 1996 and soldiered on Ryder Cup teams as players and vice-captains in the years since, first made contact about the Dane’s appointment as Europe’s captain for Paris in 2018.

What was said between the two in the phone conversation remained private, naturally. But there’s no doubt Harrington’s decision not to pursue the captaincy made it far more straightforward for Bjorn to ascend to the role.

“There was a lot of consideration about whether I put my name in the hat. It doesn’t mean I would have got it over Thomas, he’s served his time in the Ryder Cup, served his time as a vice-captain, he’s chairman of the [European Tour players’] board . . . and he’s been a very good player over his career,” said Harrington.

Harrington – who hasn’t played in the Ryder Cup since Celtic Manor in 2010 – still believes there’s life in those old bones and that playing rather than captaining remains his calling.

As he put it, “my own attitude about playing is, I ain’t getting these years back. I feel like I can be competitive and I’m putting well. The only thing as you get older is the modern game has got so much of a distance game, more of a speed game, and that’s something that would worry me more than 10 years ago.

“I’m not going to get any longer when I am 48 or 49, so I have got to take my chances when I’m 45, 46.”

Learned well

For sure, the temptation is there to one day fulfil the role of captain.

“I think the idea would be to see how I get on these two years. I know Lee Westwood has put his name up for 2020 in Whistling Straits; certainly, I wouldn’t want to be putting it out any longer than 2020, 2022 (in Italy).

“The longer you leave it the more queuing [of potential captains] and out-of- sight out-of-mind and, being in the States profile-wise, it is harder when you are playing half a tour.”

From Harrington’s viewpoint, Bjorn has learned well for the task in Paris from his time as a player and as a vice-captain.

“I was impressed with him as a vice-captain [in Hazeltine]. I can only be impressed from what I know but as far as what he said and done during the vice-captaincy I couldn’t have disagreed with any of it.

“I thought it was all spot on, all his opinions, his thought process. At the end, myself and Thomas did talk about future Ryder Cups and how we would approach things coming from this Ryder Cup and others Ryder Cups and again everything he said made a lot of sense.”

And of Bjorn’s past potential for hot-headedness?

“I guarantee you won’t see club throwing. He understands the position he is in; even if he comes under pressure he will be able to step back . . . he is chairman of the players’ board. The last three, four, five years Thomas has understood much more his responsibilities in that sense.”

Playing catch-up

For his own part, Harrington doesn’t intend to play in Europe until the Irish Open in July. Up to then, the PGA Tour in the USA will be his focus with a start date either at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines or the Waste Management Open in Phoenix in February.

By then, many players will have played 11 or 12 tournaments in the wraparound season. He’ll be playing catch-up.

And with an eye on qualifying for Bjorn’s team in Paris, Harrington – currently ranked 107th in the world – knows he needs an upward trajectory.

“I need for 2018, to have a realistic chance of making the Ryder Cup, I have to get back into the top 50 in the world. Those four Majors and four world events, you just have got to compete in those or like an event like last week, Hero World Challenge, there’s world ranking points there, so that would be Ryder Cup points next year.

“If you are right at the top of your form yes you could get into the team playing a minimum number of events and picking up big points. I know for me to make it I am going to have to gather points, you have got to pick them up where you can.”

Spoken like a realist, and someone who knows exactly what is needed if he’s to have a playing role under Bjorn in Paris.

Pádraig Harrington launched the “Irish Major Champions” limited edition print by American artist Jace McTier at the Merrion Hotel last night. The print – featuring Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke with an authenticated certificate signed by all four champions – can be purchased online at www.champions4.com or at the Marvel Room in Brown Thomas or Arnott’s Department store for a limited time.