GOLF:THE MAGICIAN had more rabbits in the hat than were required, but the three 'wild cards' – Pádraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari – which Europe's captain Colin Montgomerie yesterday plucked out for the match against the United States at Celtic Manor on October 1st-3rd showed that he isn't afraid to make the hard call in his efforts to regain the trophy.

In leaving out world number nine Paul Casey and Justin Rose, a two-time winner on the US Tour this season, Monty proved that he is very much his own man.

And, if the inclusion of triple-major champion Harrington was perhaps the bigger surprise rather than Molinari’s call-up, Montgomerie justified the Dubliner’s inclusion by remarking: “No American wants to play Pádraig Harrington, I can assure you!”

Harrington was informed out on the course during the final round of the Barclays championship in New Jersey by his wife, Caroline, that he had got one of the picks.

“I’ve got to say it was really hard to focus out there. It was very, very hard to stick to your job. It was awkward,” conceded Harrington, who nevertheless felt it was better to hear from his wife than have someone shout it to him from the crowd.

He added: “If I didn’t get picked, I know where I’d be blaming. I didn’t set my schedule properly. And ultimately, while the Ryder Cup is a big priority of mine to play well in, I possibly didn’t prioritise the qualification in the same way.”

Prior to the announcement of the three ‘wild cards’ at the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles yesterday – which was won by Molinari, who showed his own grit to close with three birdies to seal the win and earn the captain’s favour to join his brother Francesco in the 12-man team – the European Tour’s chief executive George O’Grady had referred to the “embarrassment of riches” that Montgomerie had in making his selection.

In fact, Montgomerie made his three choices after final deliberations with his on-site vice-captains Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn and also after a phone call to Sergio Garcia, who was yesterday revealed as the fourth member of the Scot’s back-up team. Montgomerie claimed they were “unanimous” in settling on Harrington, Donald and Molinari to join Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson who qualified automatically.

“I feel very sad for a number of European players, but my hands were tied in a number of ways. I feel we have come to a brave decision,” said Montgomerie, who had conveyed the bad news to Rose by mobile phone to the Englishman prior to him teeing-off in the final round of the Barclays Championship in New Jersey.

Montgomerie had been unable to contact Casey as he had already teed-off, ironically playing alongside Harrington. After getting the word of the wild cards from his wife, Harrington commiserated with Casey.

Harrington became the third Irish player to make the team, joining McDowell and McIlroy. It will be Harrington’s sixth Ryder Cup appearance, McDowell’s second and McIlroy’s first.

Indeed, the addition of Edoardo Molinari to the team means that Montgomerie will have six debutants – the Molinari brothers, McIlroy, Kaymer, Fisher and Hanson – at Celtic Manor.

As he put it of what Harrington brings to the team, “(he) has won three major championships in the last three years . . . the stature of Pádraig, he is someone we feel that nobody in matchplay golf wants to play (against). He is a great competitor and someone that will bring everything to the team that we know about European golf.”

It is the first time that Harrington – who has disappointed in his two most recent Ryder Cups, winning only a half-point at both The K Club in 2006 and Valhalla in 2008 – has been required to rely on a captain’s pick to play in the competition.

Edoardo Molinari’s impressive win in the Johnnie Walker really set the cat amongst the pigeons and effectively left Montgomerie with no choice other than to reward him with a pick.

Edoardo, who has Dubliner Colin Byrne on his bag, won the World Cup with his brother Francesco in China last November and this is seen as a readymade partnership in both foursomes and fourballs.

US captain Corey Pavin is not due to finalise his team by naming his four ‘wild card’ picks until tomorrow week, September 7th, in New York. It is expected that world number one Tiger Woods will be one of his selections.