Padraig Harrington has been backed for a sensational wildcard to play for Europe at this year’s Ryder Cup.

Captain Luke Donald has six picks for September’s contest in Rome at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Europe are bidding to wrestle the trophy back from USA after Harrington was skipper in 2021 in a record 19-9 thrashing. 

But Harrington, who turns 52 next month, has enjoyed considerable success on the PGA Tour Champions where he is seventh on this season’s money list with $1,136,136. 

He secured his fifth victory on the Tour last month at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and also came tied 27th in the US Open won by Wyndham Clark.

The Irish pro has played in six Ryder Cups and has 10.5 points from 25 matches. And former pro Wayne Riley, now a Sky Sports commentator as well as a columnist in Golf Monthly, thinks Donald should consider picking the veteran and pairing him with fellow Irishmen like Rory McIlroy or Shane Lowry.

Riley, speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, insisted: “Let’s think about Harrington.

“He was top 30 in the US Open. I think it would be great. His experience in the locker room would be sensational. He is thrashing the ball and hitting it as far as the youngsters.

“The way he played last year was unbelievable on that Champions Tour.
“Imagine seeing him and Rory or Shane Lowry - you wouldn’t understand a word they said.

“I don’t think it would happen but I would loved to have seen it.”

Half of Donald's 12-man team will qualify automatically for the event through the standings.

He and American counterpart Zach Johnson have until Sunday September 3 to decide on their final picks.

There are expected to be four places up for grabs in the European team as Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry are likely to make it.

But recently Adrian Meronk, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard have thrust themselves into equation too.

Aberg, a former amateur world number one, fired a final-round 63 at the John Deere Classic last Sunday to finish in a share of fourth place. He also impressed Donald by shooting 65 and 67 when playing with the skipper the previous week in Detroit in the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Donald has admitted the youngster, who only turned pro in June, is firmly on his radar for September.

America are hot favourites but have not had Ryder Cup success on European soil since 1993.

Riley added: “Rome is going to be American-style golf from watching the Italian Opens there, just to get my eye in.”