European captain Ian Woosnam has warned Padraig Harrington that players who chase the dollar are risking their chances of winning a wild card for this year's Ryder Cup at the K Club.

Harrington has opted to base himself mainly on the US PGA circuit this season but has currently to force his way into a qualifying spot for September's showpiece in Co Kildare.

While there is a quite a cadre of Europeans featuring on the US PGA Tour, including Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley, Woosnam picked out Harrington and Lee Westwood, who currently lie 12th and 13th on the world points table, for special mention.

"Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood need to start making a move really on their Ryder Cup world points," he said. "They don't want to be leaving themselves too much to do.

"I think I'll have to be firm about it and say people who play more in Europe will have more of a chance of getting in the team. They can think what they like. We are a European team. I know there is a lot of money to make in America but they have to make a choice."

Places for Europe's 12-man team come via the top five on a world points table and the top five in the European list, excluding those already in via the world list, and two captain's picks.

As it stands, Paul McGinley is the only Irish player to command an automatic qualifying berth and that comes courtesy of the European list.

The Welsh captain will have an audience with Europe's top players at the Tour's annual dinner later this month, and he aims to get his message across then, but launched his early warning at the start of the Italian Open in Milan.

Woosnam last year cited Luke Donald as an example of what he would like to see from his Europeans playing in America. The Englishman sacrificed many of his US PGA Tour events in 2004 to return to Europe to try to qualify for that year's Cup.

He eventually failed to get there on ranking, but earned a wild card for his efforts from then-captain Bernhard Langer.