Ryder Cup: Europe captain Padraig Harrington preparing to name wildcard picks to face US

World number one Jon Rahm won the US Open in June to help secure his spot on the European team

Padraig Harrington is expecting a little "fuss and drama" this weekend as European players battle to earn a place on the Ryder Cup team to face the United States from 24-26 September.

Four more will qualify on Sunday via the BMW Championship at Wentworth.

Europe captain Harrington will then select three wildcard picks to make up the 12-strong team.

The 43rd Ryder Cup, postponed from last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, is taking place at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin with Europe the defending champions after winning 17½-10½ at Le Golf National in 2018.

The top four players on the European points list and the top five on the world points list will automatically make the team, with English trio Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick and Lee Westwood looking set to qualify.

Ireland's Shane Lowry is currently in the final automatic spot but there are many players who could stake a late claim at the final European Tour qualifying event.

"Shane is in the hot seat but there's a number of players who can push their way into the team and a lot of points to play for this week," said Harrington,

"The picks are not about picking the 10th, 11th and 12th-best players.

"The picks are about picking three players who complement the nine who qualify, and who match up well with those guys and bring balance to the team where it's needed."

Ryder Cup veterans like Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia are among the favourites to be selected as captain's picks but while Harrington conceded he already has "three in mind" he added: "There are players who could really cause a bit of a fuss this week, cause a bit of drama.

"There's been a great push over the last couple of weeks and it's good that we are coming to a championship of this standard. Those guys are going to be under pressure.

"It's not just they are going out to trying to win a golf tournament, but they are also trying to win a golf tournament knowing what it means in the bigger picture.

"It's the kind of drama that I was hoping (for), because that's what you need when it comes to the Ryder Cup. You have to be able to handle the stress and pressure of what's going on."

The US team is being finalised on Wednesday, 8 September at 15:00 BST when captain Steve Stricker announces his six picks to join Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, who qualified through the points list.