Graeme McDowell: Padraig Harrington would be good choice for European Ryder Cup captain
Last Updated: 04/10/16 3:00pm
Graeme McDowell believes the next European to skipper the Ryder Cup side will be one of four players.
The Northern Irishman, who was not part of the side which lost 17-11 to the Americans on Sunday, has named his contenders as Padraig Harrington, Thomas Bjorn, Paul Lawrie and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
When asked who he felt should captain Europe in Paris in two years' time, McDowell told Sky Sports News HQ: "You've got to be looking at Harrington, Bjorn, Lawrie - who has thrown his hat into the ring and has been given the resounding recommendation of Sam Torrance - and probably Jimenez.
"I think Lee Westwood probably has one or two more Ryder Cups left in him, so I look at one of those other four guys.
"Harrington certainly has the right playing credentials. It would be the third Irishman in a row, so if you guys are sick of having Irish captains you might want to have a year off!
"But any of those four would be phenomenal. It's not as though anything needs to change.
"Our template on how to win Ryder Cups remains solid. They just ran into the better team last week and there was nothing they could do about it.
"You had a US team that was hungry, fired up on home soil, and the stars aligned - just one of those things."
The 37-year-old, who holed the cup-clinching putt during the 2010 match at Celtic Manor, says he was not overly concerned by the behaviour of 'a few home fans' during the recent match at Hazeltine.
The 2010 US Open winner added: "It was only 0.01 per cent of the crowd that are out there trying to bother the European players.
"For me, I don't mind the post-shot stuff. I expect, if I miss a putt in America, to get cheered.
You had a US team that was hungry, fired up on home soil, and the stars aligned - just one of those things.
McDowell on Hazeltine result
"I don't like the pre-shot stuff, when players have to back-off, because of a few idiots.
"But I don't mind the partisan stuff because I think that's what the Ryder Cup is all about."
