European Ryder Cup Captain, Padraig Harrington has handed rookie Scot Robert McIntyre a huge Whistling Straits boost revealing his name is already on a list of 2020 team ‘Probables’.

The year-long European Team qualifying process commences at this week’s BMW PGA Championship and with Harrington announcing Sweden’s Robert Karlsson as the first of five vice-captains.

It is the second straight Ryder Cup Karlsson will be a vice-captain and with Harrington declaring the now 50-year old Swede ‘will do all the heavy lifting now until I choose my other four vice-captains’.

Harrington was clearly jumping out of his skin in revealing he’s already he’s been studying the ‘stats’ of some 20 players on European Tour produced players stats list.

He said:  “We’re not allowed to promote gambling on the Tour, are we but it’s  interesting, actually. The stats are there, and you know, there’s some very obvious ones.

European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington singing the Whistling Straits praise of Scottish rookie Robert McIntyre

“There’s some in the middle there that you go, well, I really thought he had a better chance, and there’s one or two, it’s interesting for us, and statistically for us, there’s a couple that have been pulled up and flagged to us that maybe we wouldn’t have been aware of and they say, no, these guys are really producing the figures.

“If these players keep doing this, they will have a big performance that will push them in very close to making the team.”

Among those is an obvious ‘core’ to the Irishman’s team – Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm and Paul Casey.

But then Harrington revealed McIntyre already has his name on the list along with South African-born but now Slovakian national, Rory Sabatini and an unknown amateur.

Scotland rookie Robert McIntyre singled out for special praise by 2020 Ryder Cup captain, Padraig Harrington

Indeed, Harrington and the 23-year old McIntyre were playing partners for the opening two rounds of the recent Omega European Masters in Switzerland but with each missing the Swiss cut.

Harrington said:  “I’ve already played with Robert and I am very impressed.

“He is really, really impressive.  I definitely liked his game, no doubt about it.

“And I’d be very happy if he plays his way into my team.  He’s already one on my list.”

Of more concern for McIntyre is that the young Scot has overcome a left wrist concern to be fit enough to take his place this week in a maiden BMW PGA Championship.

The injury for the new World No. 96 has come about he said after over-doing practice on ‘rock-hard’ links courses.

McIntyre said:  “I’ve had a scan, and my wrist is playable. I have not broken any bone, and it’s just bruised. It’s just from links turf.

“I was struggling at the Scottish Open tee to green during practice. I battered balls for hours and they think that’s what caused it. It’s bruising of the bone.

“So, I’m fine. I’m taking the odd painkiller. It’s not something that’s going to break on me. It’s just pain as it’s bruised. I’ll take it easier in practice days but not in tournaments.

“It’s pain. It doesn’t bother me. I’ve had some sore hits on the shinty pitch. A bit of pain in the hand won’t bother me.

“I was luck in shinty as I always wore the full face helmet. My worst injury was actually when I played football with my mates and broke my elbow, and shinty wise, because I’ve been brought up with it, I know where to go and not where to go.”

And helping ease the pain is thoughts that results such as a trio of second-place finishes already this season, could lead to his selection in Harrington’s team.

McIntyre said:  “I’ve got my own goals and the Ryder Cup is a by-product of that.

“If I reach all my goals then you never know.

“It’s not one of the main goals just now, I’m just focussing on doing the right things with my game.

“I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and that is clearly working so why change it. I want to stick to what I know and work on the things I need to and build on what I have.

“The key now is building on my second-place finish in Germany.”