'I Don't Want To Leave Any Stone Unturned'

With less than a year to go until the Ryder Cup, Padraig Harrington is focusing on the biggest ten months of his career. Here, Europe’s captain discusses the challenge ahead...

- Michael Weston

What are some of your fondest memories from the Ryder Cup over the years?

I’d go back to 1985 and Sam Torrance standing arms aloft on the 18th green at The Belfry. I would have been 14 at the time. I used to play at Christy O’Connor Senior’s golf club and his golf bags were all on display there. I remember Eamonn Darcy holing that putt down the green at Muirfield Village in ‘87, and of course Christy O’Connor Junior’s 2-iron into the final green at The Belfry in ‘89. In ’95, I recall Philip Walton being hoisted aloft. The Irish did well in it; we are connected to it. It was part of our heritage growing up.

You’ve been a vice-captain three times, but what sort of captain will you look to be?

I was last a captain when I was 17 – the football team in school. I hope to pull the best together from the guys I’ve played under. As a vice-captain, you see more. I took notes during my vice-captaincy, I kept a diary. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. There’s not a secret plan that I’m putting together.

The captaincy has changed the years. There’s a responsibility now for the captain to be committed to their job and do everything possible to make sure the whole operation runs smoothly. It can be all the way down to the material used in the trousers – that’s the detail we're talking about nowadays.

So, you have to be thorough and meticulous with your planning?

I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. That’s the only thing that can bring me peace. If you told me I was going to win, I’d sit on my backside for a year and do nothing. The fear of losing drives me to do everything I possibly can. I want to know I’ve covered every base. That means paying attention to hat sizes and hat styles because my players will care about that.