Padraig Harrington Has Plenty to Say, Including an Unusual Idea for the Players Championship

ORLANDO, Fla. — Padraig Harrington has spent a good bit of time recently on social media, commenting on the current plight of the game, from the transparency of the PGA Tour, to Jon Rahm’s signing with LIV Golf and various other golf-related subjects.

So it seemed a good time to ask about him about all it.

"I was on holiday," said Harrington, laughing. “That’s why I was tweeting."

The three-time major champion from Ireland is back to work this week with his son, Ciaran, at the PNC Championship but still had plenty to say.

"The problem for me is I think I say things that support both sides at times, but you wouldn’t want to rely on me," he said at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Thursday. "But I could say something that could hurt you as well."

For example.

"I don’t want to see any player excluded from the world rankings," said Harrington, referencing the Official World Golf Ranking, which has yet to accredit the LIV Golf League, thus its players are not earning ranking points in its events.

"But I still think LIV needs to do more to get world ranking points. I don’t think a 54-hole closed event is right. It’s self-perpetuating in the world rankings but I want them to get world ranking points so they can play in the majors."

Or this.

“The PGA Tour should have spun off TPC Sawgrass (the Players Championship). If they wanted to be the fifth major, they should have invited the best players from LIV and so this is too important a tournament. If they wanted to be the fifth major, it can’t only be for PGA Tour players.

"They should have turned around and said, 'Look, this is too big of an event, LIV players can play here. We don’t like it but you can play.' Outside of that, you can’t just come and play one or two events and cherry pick. They need to play seven, eight or nine events. And I don’t think they want to do that."

And that is what the "framework agreement" would potentially solve.

The "deal to make a deal" that was announced in June and has a Dec. 31 deadline would see the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia—which funds LIV Golf—come together in some sort of for-profit entity.

How it will look and how much, or any, of LIV Golf it will include remains unclear, with all manner of theories and guesses and ideas as to what could happen.

Interesting consequence of the LIV/ Rahm 560m$ deal. It sets a very high anchor price for future signings as well as renegotiations for current players.
— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) December 8, 2023

Harrington, 52, who won twice this year on the PGA Tour Champions but also played extensively on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, doesn’t see a situation where LIV Golf and the PGA Tour can coexist as is currently set up.

"This is the problem; you can say to the LIV players you can play on the PGA Tour. But the PGA Tour is a 15-event minimum. They have a 14-event minimum," Harrington said. “Plus the four majors. Are those guys going to play 29 events?

"The simple answer: Indian Premier League (IPL) for cricket. You say to LIV, you’ve got 10 weeks in September, October and November. You run your league, let guys go earn extra money playing all over the world. But even at 10 weeks are guys prepared for 15 events on top of that?"

Harrington’s cricket example is similar to what is happening in golf. The IPL began in 2007 and was very controversial, a 10-city league that was to play during the height of the English cricket season—and pick off players who would compete in it.

The new format saw a big-money investor attract top players to leave and caused considerable disruption. But it is now an accepted part of the cricket world.

Harrington has no idea how it will be resolved in golf. Most people don’t.

"It doesn’t make any difference what I hope for," he said. "I understand the commercial realities of business. We trade with Saudi Arabia so they’re entitled to come in and pick and choose where they invest. It’s a commercial world so what I hope and believe will happen? I think people are looking for nirvana and I don’t think nirvana will happen too quickly.

"And I think that will take time. I think at the moment they’re trying to do a deal to keep everybody solid. I certainly don’t think there will be a deal where everything is normal and O.K.. At least not for awhile. Eventually it will happen."