Padraig Harrington sent Team USA a scary Ryder Cup message

The Europeans have revenge on their minds, especially considering how the Americans beat them in record fashion at the 2021 Ryder Cup.

The US, with its youngest team ever, won 19-to-9, marking the largest margin of victory in modern Ryder Cup history. By modern, we mean since 1979, when players from all over the European continent were allowed to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time. Before that, only those from the British Isles could compete.

Irishman Padraig Harrington knows all about that landslide victory, considering he will captain the European side in 2021.

So almost two years ago, while speaking to the media ahead of this week’s Horizon Irish Open, Harrington sent a startling message to Americans about the team the Europeans will field in Rome.

“I think Europe is very strong this year. I think we’re back,” said Harrington. “I think we’re back to the 1980s, where our top players were the best players in the world. So I think the team is very strong. I think they are in very good form.”

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

From 1985 to 1989, the Europeans ruled.

They won in 1985 and 1987 and retained the cup in 1989 after the two sides tied at The Belfry in England. Their victory in 1987 marked the first European victory on American soil, which was in Jack’s place—Muirfield Village in Ohio.

At that time, the Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, Englishman Nick Faldo, and German Bernhard Langer were considered the three best players in the world. Others such as Sam Torrance, Sandy Lyle, and Ian Woosnam helped Europe conquer the competition as well.

But nearly four decades later, similar sentiments could be said about Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Viktor Hovland, who will lead the European charge in Italy later this month.

“I think we just got it in our turndown, their improvement,” Harrington said of the 2021 Ryder Cup, which marks Hovland’s debut in the competition.

“That one more year of COVID, our team went from peaking to low and never came back. I’ve said in many interviews, that many of the players will continue to play their best golf going forward, and they there is. You watch Tommy Fleetwood play, you watch Matt [Fitzpatrick] won a major, you look at Tyrrell Hatton playing well, Viktor Hovland.

In fact, Fleetwood and Hatton had great years, and Fitzpatrick won the 2022 US Open by one stroke over Will Zalatoris.

McIlroy and Rahm apparently have a combined six majors.

Photo by Jason Allen/ISI Photos/Getty Images

And then there’s Hovland, the hottest player on the planet after his FedEx Cup playoff performances.

“Europe has gotten stronger over the last two years,” Harrington added. “As for the US – I don’t want to say they’re weakening in any way shape or form, but there are certainly a lot of players who are at their peak at that moment.”

In an interesting twist of fate, Harrington made these comments at The K Club, the site of the 2006 Ryder Cup.

The Europeans dominated the Americans that week, 18.5-to-9.5, marking the third straight win for Europe. The 2004 Ryder Cup, held at Oakland Hills in Michigan, had the same final score.

Harrington remembers those times vividly, and feels that Europe can get back there with the young and talented players they have.

And since he made these comments on the holy ground for the Europeans, perhaps his prophecy will be confirmed, which will spell trouble for the red, white, and blue in the years to come.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check @_PlayingThrough too.