The Ryder Cup: Europe favourites

Former Ryder Cup player John O'Leary believes Europe will maintain their stranglehold on the coveted trophy.

The 37th edition of golf's biennial showpiece tees off in a fortnight at the Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky with the pressure clearly on the United States to halt Europe's charge towards a fourth straight victory.

But O'Leary believes the wealth of talent at the disposal of captain Nick Faldo coupled with Padraig Harrington's incredible form might prove a bit too much to overcome for the Americans who are already handicapped by the loss of world No 1 Tiger Woods.

"I like the ingredients," O'Leary told XPRESS while attending a Ryder Cup preview dinner in Dubai along with renowned television golf commentator Dougie Donnelly.

"From the form of the players, things are looking very good. Our team has a lot of strength in depth.

"We have some top players who are not in the side because of the promise of the young players," he added.

During his 19-year career on the European tour, O'Leary's only Ryder Cup appearance came in 1975. He was also the last Irishman to win the Irish Open, in 1982, before Harrington bagged the title last year.

Hailing Harrington

And O'Leary was glowing in his praise of his compatriot who followed up a successful title defence of the British Open with the US PGA Championship last month.

"He's been a revelation. He has been very intelligent in the way he has developed his game.

"He has learnt something every year. Under Bob Torrance, he has now got a long-handed swing which is comparable with the best in the world. It is something he has worked really hard on. To have a player who's currently won the last two major titles leading the team is a tremendous boost," said O'Leary, presently a member of the European Tour Board.

Number one's absence will be felt

Tiger Woods has his fair share of critics when it comes to the Ryder Cup, but O'Leary had no doubts he will be missed.

"He's the record points scorer over the last five Ryder Cups for America. They say he never plays as well in the Ryder Cup but he's played some games against [Lee] Westwood and [Darren] Clarke where he's played great and they have just played better on the day over 18 holes. He has to be missed. He's so special."