Three-time Major winning Padraig Harrington accepts his appointment as a Gleneagles vice-captain will eventually lead to him being appointed a future European Ryder Cup captain.

As reported earlier in the week by www.golfbytourmiss.com Harrington is staring at the possibility of leading Europe in just four years time when the 2018 Ryder Cup is staged in France.

If so, don’t be surprised to see Harrington appointed captain of either the GB & I Seve Trophy side, if of course the event goes ahead in 2015, and/or captain Europe in the 2016 EurAsia Cup.

And Harrington accepts the offer handed to him by close friend Paul McGinley could, and not doubt will lead to Harrington becoming the second-born Irishman to captain a European Team.

“As regards being captain, this is a step in the right direction to see whether I would be suitable in that position,” said Harrington.

Padraig Harrington and his last appearance in the Ryder Cup – 2010 at Celtic Manor. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)

“And just because you play good golf doesn’t mean you are suitable to man manage 12 players and do the stuff behind the scenes.

“To be honest, to be a good golfer is quite a selfish thing and being team captain is probably the opposite. I will have a better idea after this Ryder Cup whether my qualifications are starting to stack up in order to be putting my hat in the ring for a captaincy down the road.”

In the mix for future European Team captains is Denmark’s hot-headed Thomas Bjorn, Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke, and no doubt over-looked by McGinley as a member of his Gleneagles back-room team following his remarks immediately following news of the appointment of Tom Watson as USA Team captain.

As well, the likes of Paul Lawrie and England’s Lee Westwood must also be the mix.

However just as former top golfers don’t always make for good golf course designers, Harrington accepts that enjoying a career as he had savored not necessarily means he will make a good European Ryder Cup captain.

“You only have got to look at the most successful European player in terms of winning majors in the modern era was Nick Faldo and we all know how that Ryder Cup went,” he said.

“So it doesn’t  automatically mean that the captain, because he can play good golf, is the best man for the job. Paul is a good example.

“Paul has had a good career on the European Tour and won big events and played in the Ryder Cup but in terms of the stature of winning majors, he didn’t do that. Yet he is easily the best choice for Ryder cup captain at the moment. So his qualification for being captain were higher than just his playing record. The Ryder Cup is very important for Europe and it is about choosing the right guy to do the job rather than give it to somebody because he deserved it.

“But then looking at my record you might say, yeah, I look like being a captain, but being a vice-captain and getting in behind the scenes will tell me a lot more and tell the people in the know if I’m the right man to do the job.”