Pádraig Harrington has criticised the suggestion put forward by Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood that the European Tour drop its membership requirement and instead see the best 12 players from Europe and the 12 best players from the USA contest the Ryder Cup.
"For me, there shouldn't be anything to do with membership of tours," was McIlroy's upfront response when questioned on the subject recently.
Lee Westwood backed McIllroy's call and added: "I think at the end of the day you want the best possible European players teeing it up in the Ryder Cup.
"I can see the reason why they want you to be a European Tour member, but I think it's unfortunate when you have clearly world class/Ryder Cup experienced players missing out because they have chosen to, for one reason or another, live in America or play golf solely in America."
"If you want to play in the Ryder Cup and improve your career prospects and all that goes with it, you have got to be a member of the tour"
Harrington, speaking after last weekend's Turkish Airlines Open, believes the only change to the current selection format should involve the final qualifying date by being pushed back by by a fortnight so the team better reflects form.
"The Ryder Cup is far too important to the European Tour for the man on the ground to be turning around and saying, ‘Why not just select the top 12 in the world rankings and be done with it.’ That would be silly, wouldn’t it?," was Harrington's reaction to the overhaul mooted by the likes of McIlroy and Westwood.
Denying those players who soldier on the European Tour, week in, week out, would also according to the Dubliner destroy the essence of the Ryder Cup.
"The Ryder Cup is all about the European Tour," he added.
"And the Ryder Cup, to be honest, it represents the non-Europeans who are members of the European Tour too. It is all about the European Tour. That is how I see it.
"It is absolutely a carrot used by the European Tour. If you want to play in the Ryder Cup and improve your career prospects and all that goes with it, you have got to be a member of the tour and play five times. It is not much to ask anybody."
