Two Ryder Cup heroes will help Padraig Harrington at Whistling Straits.
Harrington announced Wednesday that Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer will serve as European vice captains for the September matches, joining a team room that already includes assistants Luke Donald and Robert Karlsson.
This will be McDowell’s second stint as an assistant, having aided in 2018, while Kaymer will assume the role for the first time.
Both players have starred in critical roles in recent Ryder Cups.
McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champion, earned the clinching point for the Europeans in 2010, while Kaymer, a two-time major winner, holed a 6-footer on the final green at Medinah two years later that helped seal the visitors’ historic comeback. They have combined to make eight Ryder Cup appearances. Kaymer also has winning experience at Whistling Straits, capturing the PGA Championship there in 2010.
“They have both contributed winning points in Ryder Cup history, have been there and done it, and the other players look up to them,” Harrington said in a release. “They both have that aura and responsibility in what they say will have meaning.
“Martin is somebody I wanted as a vice captain because he has a great personality and brings a calmness, a European element, and a lot of confidence with him. The fact that he won around Whistling Straits also brings that level of authority and assurance that you need. ...
“I decided on Graeme as a vice captain a long time ago. He was a vice captain in 2018 with me and I liked what he brought to the team room. He’s quite an authority, confident in what he’s doing and saying and knows the scene. The only reason he would not have been a vice captain was if he was going to be a player.”
This year’s Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 24-26.