Golf:Padraig Harrington, who bowed out of the FedExCup Series over the weekend, has added the Vivendi Cup to his schedule as he seeks to sharpen his game before the forthcoming Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup wild card, who missed the cut at the The Deutsche Bank Championship on Saturday and fell outside the top 70 in the FedExCup standings, had been considering entering the Irish PGA Championship.
Instead, the Dubliner will join his Ryder Cup teammates Peter Hanson and Edoardo Molinari in Paris from September 23rd to 26th to complete his build-up for the event at the Celtic Manor. Colin Montgomerie and his Ryder Cup vice-captains Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn will also play the Vivendi, a 36-hole team pro-am followed by a two-round shootout for the professionals.
“I am really looking forward to playing in the Vivendi Cup. Having heard many great things about the Golf de Joyenval, I am delighted to be playing there for the first time,” Harrington said. “I enjoy the pro-am format very much and I will be playing with my brother which should make for a very enjoyable week.”
Harrington’s inclusion in Montgomerie’s team, at the expense of Justin Rose and Paul Casey, has been heavily criticised in some quarters with the three-time major winner clearly struggling for form.
The 39-year-old has not won a tournament since 2008 but said his form was better than recent scores indicated. "The game's fine and solid," said Harrington. "I'm just not letting it happen."