Tuesday 1 October 2019 18:35, UK
Padraig Harrington believes that the Ryder Cup could be based on a "neutral set-up" in the future rather than being suited for the home side.
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The Irishman will captain Europe's Ryder Cup defence at Whistling Straits next September, having acted as a vice-captain during their 17.5-10.5 victory in Paris last year.
Rory McIlroy has called for tougher courses on the European Tour, which the Northern Irishman feels will help improve Europe's Ryder Cup chances, while Harrington thinks that the current tradition of Ryder Cup courses being set up to favour the hosts may eventually change.
"Clearly in Europe, we get to set the golf course up and we set it up every way we can to suit our players," Harrington said. "And in the States, we've seen that, as well, where the golf courses are set up to be most advantageous for the home team.
"I think it's obviously not going to happen probably in my lifetime, but 40, 50 years down the road when the Ryder Cup is still going along, it will probably be best to have a neutral set-up where there is no setting up a golf course.
"Thankfully here at Whistling Straits, this is a much more natural golf course. I'm interested to see down the road what Steve [Stricker] has in store but doesn't look like you can do a lot with this golf course. This is a golf course that is just going to test the players on its own merits."
Harrington finished on four winning Ryder Cup teams during his six appearances as a player, with the 48-year-old now looking to bring in his own style of captaincy after acting as an assistant for the last three European teams.
"When you become a vice-captain, you start seeing a lot more," Harrington added. "Obviously because of that, you start learning a lot more the demands of the players and how to fit them together and manage all the different personalities in a team.
"There are so many styles of captaincy. You do see that. I don't believe I'm going to be one or the other. I'll hopefully be a mixture of most.
"But then as vice-captain you tend to learn a lot about the tactics that go in behind that, and it is difficult. Steve will know this from being there, as well."
