Padraig Harrington recently appeared in ‘The Rough Cut Golf Podcast,’ hosted by Peter Finch where he delved into deep discussions about LIV Golf. The Irish professional golfer was asked his opinion on the current professional golf circuit and whether it is changing for the better or worse.
Harrington answered promptly, saying he didn’t think it was a bad thing that there were two strong professional golf tours. He went on to make a lighthearted observation, pointing out that every time he expresses an opinion, it seems to shift on its own after about a month.
“ Yeah, it’s been strange because at any given time, I’ve kind of given my opinion and then a month later, it kind of changed. You know, we’ve obviously seen where LIV was completely on the outside and now most of the rhetoric is, OK, we’ve got to do something about this and include them in some way. I never minded having two strong tours.”
Harrington then commented on how LIV Golf has attracted some of the top players such as Patrick Reed from the PGA Tour, by extending lucrative offers to them. He noted that players who are renowned for being outspoken and sometimes involved in contentious behavior have been singled out by the Saudi-backed league.
The 52-year-old golfer then talked about the repercussions of selecting such players for the LIV league. He related a story from the Masters tournament about how LIV players would frequently curse while on the course. He called attention to the boisterous nature of Tyrrell Hatton and said that no restraint was shown. He was also taken aback by the fact that the players were neither fined nor restricted for their behavior.
“I will say the side effect of this, which I was surprised,” Harrington said, “there was quite a bit of — on the Masters last week, there was an awful lot of extra expletives from LIV players, and clearly LIV players don’t get fined for expletives, and I’m not saying they’re encouraged, but they’re certainly not discouraged from doing it.”
Harrington, thus, stressed the need for imposing restrictions on LIV golfers, particularly concerning any actions that might damage a golf course. He mentioned that while a golfer breaking their clubs is tolerable, inflicting harm on the course itself is an unexpected behavior.
Padraig Harrington Praises Scheffler’s Outstanding Golfing Abilities On The Podcast
When Padraig Harrington was asked which golfer he currently liked, the conversation turned to Scottie Scheffler‘s current dominance of the field. Harrington made a point of highlighting Scheffler’s exceptional golf skills and how entertaining it is to watch. He did concede, though, that the current World No. 1 was playing more like Tiger Woods, but he still had a long way to go.
Later, Harrington talked about whether Scheffler can maintain his current level of performance over an extended period or if it would plateau after a year or so. According to him, every golfer experiences an eighteen-month “golden period,” after which it becomes difficult to maintain the same caliber of play because of the high standards that were set during that time of peak performance.
Despite this, Harrington acknowledged that, at present, Scheffler is indeed the best player in the world, given his exceptional performance and the remarkable control he has over his game.
By the end of the podcast, Padraig Harrington was asked to describe his best win moment thus far. The golfer mentioned how each of his victories provided him with his most memorable experiences. However, his second major victory, at the 2008 US Open, was particularly memorable and satisfying, as he defeated Ian Poulter by four strokes. He even said that for this accomplishment, he received a wave from the audience.
With almost thirty years of golfing experience, Harrington has seen many highs and lows in his own game as well as in the careers of many other players and the game in general. His ideas and observations are respected and can be used as inspiration and guidance by other golfers.
