Pádraig Harrington believes a wounded USA outfit will be dangerous and out for revenge in next year’s contest at Adare Manor and hasn’t ruled out LIV rebels like Graeme McDowell being future Team Europe captains.
Europe will welcome USA to JP McManus’ Adare Manor in September 2027. After Europe won away for the first time since 2012 in Bethpage Black, the Americans will be out for redemption and a first away success in 34 years. The Stars and Stripes have turned to 2018 losing captain Jim Furyk and while it seems like a surprising decision, Harrington has warned Europe to be wary of the ‘tough nut’ American.
“Jim’s a great guy, for sure,” Harrington said. “I think he’s very competitive. He’s quite hard. The whole US team wants revenge, and they’re definitely going to leave no stone unturned, I would think.
“Obviously, they can’t do much with Adare, so it’s all about themselves, how they’ll manage themselves.
“There are some ebbs and flows when it comes to teams. They didn’t seem to have their best team last time, which usually means they’ll be stronger next time around.
“Obviously, the separation in the game of golf hasn’t helped the US Ryder Cup team figure out who their best players are.
“But in another year’s time, they’ll have a lot of that figured out, so you certainly wouldn’t be underestimating Jim and his team, that’s for sure.
“He’s a tough, tough, tough character.”
Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed weren’t involved in last September’s contest but both players look set to feature having returned to mainstream tour golf which would strengthen the Americans. The potential breakdown of the Saudi backed LIV Golf might mean a way back into the Ryder Cup picture for some European legends who have been discarded since the 2021 edition in Whistling Straits where Harrington was captain.
McDowell was expected to captain Europe in Adare Manor before joining LIV which has now left Luke Donald in position to become the first captain to win three successive Ryder Cups.
McDowell wants to return to the DP World Tour which could help mend bridges with the tour at board level while Harrington has also tipped Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter for potential Ryder Cup roles going forward.
“Lee Westwood was lined up to take the captaincy after me,” said Harrington. “You’ve got Poulter, and you’ve got Graeme. There would have been a lot of competition there. Time heals a lot, so maybe we’ll see those guys as captains down the road.”
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