Wednesday 8 May 2019 16:53, UK
The number of wildcard picks for Europe's Ryder Cup team has been reduced from four to three as part of changes to the qualification process for the 2020 contest.
Europe's 12-man team will comprise of the first four players from the European Points List and the next leading five players from the World Points List, with Harrington then naming three captain's selections the week after the 2020 BMW PGA Championship.
The European Tour announced that the qualification period for Padraig Harrington's team will begin at the 2019 BMW PGA Championship, the fourth Rolex Series tournament of the year - and conclude at the same event in September 2020.
"I am pleased that the Tournament Committee agreed to the change of wildcard numbers," Harrington said. "I have spoken to a number of people regarding the ninth player automatically qualifying for the team and in my experience, a player is more comfortable when he has qualified, hence my reasoning behind this change.
"I am also delighted to be starting and ending the process at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. It is one of our most prestigious events, played at an iconic venue and the home of the European Tour itself, and will help give a real narrative to the qualification race."
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Qualification points will not be available anywhere in the world from a tournament played opposite a Rolex Series event, while Race to Dubai points and World Ranking points will be multiplied by 1.5 towards the end of the qualification period.
The 43rd edition of The Ryder Cup will be played on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin from September 25 to 27, 2020, with full live coverage on Sky Sports Golf.
