Lowry expecting no Ryder Cup favours from Harrington

Paddy Power Golf Ambassador Shane Lowry. Image : Lorraine O'Sullivan/Sharppix

Shane Lowry is expecting no wildcard favours from skipper Pádraig Harrington and believes will have to make the Dubliner's European Ryder Cup team on merit.

The Open champion (32) will neatly deflect major talk over the next 12 months by making his quest for a 2020 Ryder Cup debut at Whistling Straits his ultimate goal.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," might ring a bell for students of Shakespeare's Henry IV but by focussing on the Ryder Cup rather than majors, Lowry can ease the burden of expectation.

It's the goal he set before his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship win in January, and that worked a treat with victory in the first Rolex Series event of the year and then The Open, six months later.

Even though he is now a major champion, he wants to make the team on merit and make a good start when the qualifying campaign begins with the $7 million BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week.

"It's a bit like when your Da' is the manager of the local football team – it's nearly harder for you to get on it!" Lowry said in his latest blog post for sponsors Paddy Power.

"You must play better than anyone else, so no-one can accuse you of not being there on merit.

"Pádraig wouldn't take too kindly to me referring to him as my Dad or anything – but I know I'm going to have to make the team off my own steam and not rely on a captain's pick.

"That's always been my plan anyway and that's what I'll be trying to do from Thursday at Wentworth."

Rory McIlroy headlines a star-studded field looking for the perfect start to the chase for four spots from the European Points List and five from the World Points list.

Harrington will then add three wildcards on 14 September and Lowry knows his fate is in his own hands.

"It's something I love about golf," said the Clara man, who returns to Wentworth after a four-week break for an event where he has recorded four top-10 finishes in nine appearances.

"Success or failure is nearly always down to what you do personally, as it's such an individual game.

"I know that if I play good golf, it should all take care of itself.

"I just have to try and focus on doing that each day, in each tournament, for the next few months and keep the consistency that's been in my game for the past nine months and see what happens then.

"As long as I put in decent performances until November and next season, it should make the points race to the Ryder Cup 2020 that little bit more manageable."

Harrington said as far back as 31 January that as rookies, the likes of Lowry or Paul Dunne would struggle to get a wildcard.

“Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I will tell you right now, it is pretty tough for a rookie to get picked,” Harrington said. “Shane and Paul, they either play their way in or something exceptional has to happen for them to get a pick.

“And to be honest, and I will tell you the absolute truth because I have seen it three times at Ryder Cups, it's hard for the captain when he is talking about his own countrymen. They are so afraid of being biased that it could actually work against home players.

“But it would be very evident with Paul or Shane if they either play their way in or something happens that they won't be a hard pick. It will either be obvious, or they will play their way in. But unfortunately, as rookies, if they are genuinely fringe picks, it is more likely to go against them because they are rookies. And even a little bit because you are trying not to be biased.”