Rationalizing The Harrington Selection At The Expense Of Paul Casey

It's fascinating to see how personal the British press is getting in rationalizing the selection of Padraig Harrington over Paul Casey for the European Ryder Cup squad. Check out Oliver Brown's over-the-top slashing of Casey.

So how could Casey possibly "hate" Americans? Their country has made him what he is: an ordinary lad from Surrey stockbroker land, made exceptional on the strength of a golf scholarship at Phoenix. Indeed, his problem in the eyes of European critics who find his personality cocky, abrasive, and who do not mourn his omission from the Ryder Cup team for a second, is that he is perhaps too American.

Now, Steve Elling tells us that Mr. Too American played in five non-Open Championship European events this year. Harrington?

Twice. Twice!

Fair enough. Of the two PGA Tour members who were picked ahead of him Sunday, Padraig Harrington, who hasn’t won a tournament in two years and hasn’t won a match in the past two Ryder Cups, played in two European Tour events in 2010. Luke Donald, ranked No. 10 in the world last week, one slot below Casey, played in four European events this year. Casey has played in five.

Brown also seems to have forgotten that Luke Donald lives in America, married an American and is a huge fan of the red, white and blue. Why no concerns about this loyalty? Oh right, he's on the team and unlike Harrington, a case can be made that he's a deserving selection.