A few weeks back it seemed that there was no chance of Irishman Padraig Harrington being picked as a wildcard for the European Ryder Cup team by captain Jose Maria Olazabal. It seemed like the Dubliner would have to pull off a miracle to force his way into the team but he may well be on the verge of achieving that miracle.
Jose Maria Olazabal previously said of Harrington’s chances that he would need to do something extraordinary and when questioned more recently, he stated that Harrington would need “at least a win” at the Barclays Tournament in Farmingdale.
It seems that Padraig has taken these words on board as he leads the field, which includes Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, after the first round. Harrington shot a first round 64 to lead after the first day on seven under par, one shot ahead of American pair Nick Watney and Brian Harman.
It is widely believed among those in the know that one of the two wildcard places on the European team will go to Englishman Ian Poulter. That leaves just one wildcard place left and if Padraig Harrington can continue his good start for the next three days then he could well find himself heading to the Ryder Cup.
