Padraig Harrington could be staring captaining a European Team later next year sporting a 24-year age difference between his oldest and youngest in his Whistling Straits side.
That’s if triple European Tour No. 1 Lee Westwood and Norwegian sensation, Vicktor Hovland qualify for Harrington’s 2021 side.
Qualifying has been ‘frozen’ since early July and resumes on the 1st January, 2021.
And when it does, you can be assured both Westwood and Hovland will be rubbing shoulders for Harrington’s nod of approval.
Westwood is still strongly expected to be picked as a vice-captain but he refuses to read the script ending his season with a 25th Tour win earlier this year and then on Sunday a third No. 1 crown in 20-years.
Lee Westwood will be 48 at the time of next year’s Ryder Cup whereas Vicktor Hoviland will turn 24 six days proir to Whistling Straits
Sharing third in Dubai was Hovland and an effort, seven days after winning for a second time on the PGA Tour, has him up to 15 on the World Rankings.
Westwood will be 48 if he qualifies for Harrington’s side while Hovland turns 24 years of age just six days prior to the start of the rescheduled 2021 Ryder Cup.
That will be a 24-year age difference.
Westwood is 10-time Ryder Cup star but in 2018 he was a Versailles vice-captain under Thomas Bjorn and with a 2021 vice-captaincy role under Harrington, the Englishman’s last step towards the 2023 captaincy reins in Rome.
Westwood made it very clear he wants to travel next September with his golf clubs straight after capturing the European No. 1 crown by just Euro 18 or some £16.
He said: “I’d love to play in a Ryder Cup again.
“It beats watching (smiling). There’s obviously a lot less pressure watching the lads being vice-captain.
“Yeah, if I qualify for the team then I’m clearly good enough, and you know, that’s the way I’m going to play it.
“I can still turn up to the biggest tournaments and compete as I proved at the start of the year winning in Abu Dhabi; the U.S. Open where I bogeyed the last two holes, and if I hadn’t, I’d have finished fifth, and now second in Dubai.
“So, it’s definitely — I’m not going to say it’s one of my goals for next year because you should never make Ryder Cup one of your goals.
“You should break it down to try and play well each tournament. But I could see it happening.”
Westwood can now boast victories in the last century, the last decade and this year and not only is that evidence of his undoubted longevity, it’s also testament to his motivation and work-rate that’s rarely wavered over an incredible spell at the top of the game.
He said: “The motivation has never changed, really. I get to get up each day and do the job I love. I’ve always wanted to be a golfer, and I don’t want it to end.
“So, I’m prepared to keep working hard and put myself in the line of fire and try to get into contention in tournaments. It’s where I’m most comfortable and what I love doing.
“I love the work away from the course and the gym and on the range, the hard work that people don’t see, I love that. I don’t need to motivate myself very often”.
