Padraig Harrington has been confirmed as Europe's captain for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
The appointment of the three-time major champion, 47, was announced in a news conference at Wentworth on Tuesday. Harrington succeeds Thomas Bjorn, having served as a vice-captain as the Dane oversaw an emphatic European success at Le Golf National in September.
A winner in four of his six Ryder Cup appearances as a player, Harrington was also a vice-captain in 2014 and 2016 under Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke.
"I'm thrilled to be named as the Ryder Cup captain for 2020," Harrington said. "It's not something I went into lightly. I suppose you could look at this as being a natural progression, but it's not something that I take on without a certain amount of trepidation.
"I really want to be a help, hopefully leave the Ryder Cup and European Tour in a better place. I know we want continuity in Europe. Ideally we'd play a Ryder Cup tomorrow with the same 12 guys. I know we're going to a new venue, an away match, we're going to have on average three more rookies coming in.
"I have to be a part of that team and ensure I find an edge to ensure the team perform to their best."
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Europe has won four of the last five editions of the event, but was beaten on its last visit to American soil, Clarke's team going down 17-11 to a United States outfit led by Davis Love III.
It remains to be seen who will captain the USA in 2020, although Fred Couples and Steve Stricker are thought to be among the leading candidates to follow in the footsteps of Jim Furyk.
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