Ryder Cup: Paul Lawrie says the captain has lost hope

Paul Lawrie (left) was one of the vice-captains of Darren Clarke in 2016, along with Padraig Harrington (second left) and Thomas Bjorn (right)

Paul Lawrie believes his own prospects for the Ryder Cup team in Europe to lead "away", but says Padraig Harrington becomes a "phenomenal captain" in 2020.

The Scot, 50, played twice in the biennial event and in 2016 was one of the five vice-leaders of Darren Clarke.

But as he prepares for his return from his injury during the Seniors Tour, Lawrie has little hope for the captain.

"Anyone who has ever played in the Ryder Cup wants to be the captain and I am no different," he told BBC Scotland.

"But it would be unlikely that it would happen to me now I have only been vice-captain once and I think – rightly – that you have to be a vice-captain at least twice to know what the role is.

"It is the previous five captains who choose the next captain. So if Thomas Bjorn [the 2018 captain] and Paul McGinley [in 2014] do not see me as vice-captain, they will hardly choose me as captain. "

& # 39; The hardest working golfer that I met & # 39;

Lawrie, the last Scot who won a grand prize when he won the Open Championship in 1999, is forced to take a longer break from the game to recover from time-honored foot and back complaints

He has known Harrington, 47, "a long, long time" and "so good with the Irishman", but is reluctant to push his own claims to another role as vice president.

The Scot undoubtedly has Harrington "a brilliant appointment."

"Padraig not only has a huge experience as a player gained, he has had a great career, he has also been vice-captain three times and that is invaluable, "(19459002]

" He has experience with six captains as a player and three as vice-captain, so on this moment no one is qualified to be a captain.

"He is a great guy, the hardest working golfer I have met, besides Vijay Singh, so if it has anything to do with preparation preparation, he will be a phenomenal captain. & # 39;

I am the right man to lead Europe at Ryder Cup – Harrington