Padraig Harrington reflects on the current game of golf, including some of the division in the sport between the PGA Tour and LIV, and the importance of the best players competing against each other. #GolfChannel #GolfToday
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Padraig Harrington reflects on state of golf, including PGA Tour and LIV | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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you can tell me now in secret Podrick do you think what the current state of the game is is it sustainable right now either in terms of the prize funds or even in terms of the division is is the game in a healthy place in your mind look I I I seem to live through the Golden Era Gulf when there was a very strong European tour uh we didn’t realize at the time that the two tours being strong was I I felt in hindsight looks like it was a great thing H there’s not enough turn if Everybody Plays the PJ tour there’s not enough tournaments for everybody to win you can’t build Stars it’s just so hard like if Scotty wins eight tournaments this year and Rory wins five and Xander wins four what is everybody else going to win so you need other big tours whether it’s Europe or wherever else I I got to say I didn’t realize when it came to live you know some of the guys left and he said you know didn’t bother me a lot of my friends went to live as well but some of the guys left but I realized last week God we missed Bryson like Bryson was box office last week and really really helped that tournament helped push Sanders win on it it was fantastic interesting exciting watching uh you know so yeah we do miss we miss those guys I I think you know as I said before it’s hard to believe we miss Patrick Reed H you know that’s just the way it is I think ultimately if you were looking for me for the the the perfect solution I would have at least to two tours and have some crossover like we did back in the day everybody’s got a bit of a chip on their show older uh you know but certain amount of players can come and go back and forth if you invite something like that rivalries are a good thing in sport uh you know it it’s it’s always been helpful but we do need a solution I I will say that that’s that’s the one thing every day you know for the last two years I’ve had an opinion and and all I found is wow it just keeps moving and changing because the scene changes so I think everybody in golf wants a solution and we we want to have weeks like last week at the where we have the drama where we have both sides uh we need more of that for sure but we don’t necessarily have to have everybody playing the same tournament at the same time it I I know other people think that’s right it does for me if you get all the best players playing all the tournaments at the same time it it’s just hard to create there’s so few opportunities to win it’s hard to create Stars it’s hard to build on that so I I’m not adverse to two strong tours and and whatever goes with that uh I I I I I but I don’t know the solutions and I don’t know as you said is it economically possible we don’t know what the world of Gulf is going to look like in in 20 years time but all I know is the two probably the biggest things we can’t let live poach the best players off the PJ tour for nothing and we also miss the players who have gone to live so that that would be the two big takes I don’t know how you how you solve that but like if if we get another big personality we can’t afford to lose them on the PJ tour we didn’t realize that we we’ve lost a lot on the PJ tour with the personalities leaving and we can’t afford that so there has to be some me mechanism that it’s it’s too hard to leave if you pick the side you pick the side and then vice versa we’ve got to give you know give the live guys if they want to play over there we got to give them some more ranking points we got to give them an opportunity H to come compete in in the majors like I’ve said I believe that the TPC s grass should be spun out as an individual event so that we can invite Live players to play in it if if if this if sass the players wants to be known as The Fifth major well they’ve got to invite the best players in the world and that means they’ve got to spin out somehow be a standalone event it can be own by a PJ tour but it has to be a standalone event that you can invite all the best players in the world to play in and it creates drama last week was just fab it was the best week of the year last week everybody’s got to agree with that it was okay there was a couple of things that happened weren’t the best week of the year but the drama around the around that last final round was so Victor playing well again who who doesn’t enjoy watching Victor play golf it’s just phenomenal when when he’s on form he just I don’t think there’s anybody in the world of go that when he’s on form just seems to enjoy and in and and the the the the sheer fun he has what he seems to have when he’s playing gra so you know I I just you know I missed the cut last week but I watched 36 holes of golf on the weekend and it was fantastic Podrick you know the the bandwidth the the concentration the dedication it takes to play this game at the highest level in the biggest championships what are the player Direct ctors on the board facing trying to hit that white golf ball and get into the ho as few shots as possible while also dealing with the geopolitical wins involved in this PGA Tour live negotiation just seems like a lot yeah yeah look my my own opinion I I I would be I’ve said it before and I’d be supporting what Lucas Glover said last week uh we need a minority of players on the board to give some golfing advice but we’ve got to trust that the business people we employ are working in our best interest there’s no reason why they wouldn’t be working in our best interests we’ve got to trust those intelligent business people who’ve run big businesses for a long number of years you know most golfers because we’re good at hitting a little white ball doesn’t mean we’re necessarily good at making all those complicated business decisions and and I agree with you that there’s there’s no doubt uh I’ve shied away even though I hav’t i’ professionally qualified accountant uh back in the day I’ve shied away from from from boards and things because ultimately you know you kind of K CAU between two stools you’re not you’re not going to be an expert in that field and then you come back and you you’re taking out where you are an expert being a golfer so it is it’s difficult you know what you want to be known as as a you know I I admire guys who do it h but you know if you’re an expert at a golf for you’re own life to be an expert at anything else that’s that’s the way it is with me and uh it takes a lot of time and dedication it’s it’s a lot of sacrifice like the best thing that could have happened was Rory didn’t get back on that board I I I you know he was he was being softed by go going back to it you know in the end of the day he need he need it’s not the distraction he needs he needs to be out there playing golf and it’s the guys who are on there you know I think it’s perfect for Tiger he’s at that stage of his career uh but like if you want to be a competitive player it takes all your time and energy uh out here it’s a lot more than people think to play you know to be a Top Class Sports person so uh yeah it’s tough we need a minority but we got to trust the businessmen know what they’re doing and are working in our best interests
21 Comments
The European Tour was sucked dry by the PGA. Now the PGA is crying in its beer about Liv.
PGA needs to boycott kentucky for ANY future golf events. It is crystal clear that cops can’t be trusted to serve and protect players or spectators. The cops are racists who are bullies, liars and thugs at best. Of course, look at the top echelon, crap flushes down
Padraig well done
Padraig a true legend of the game and an Irish hero
PGA losing control of Golf, that doesn't sit well, ultimately he who has deepest pockets wins!
Padraig talks a lot of common sense and the tours/LIV should take note.
Paddy speaking sense as usual, Bryson made the PGA last week, I see no issue with having LIV and PGA tour existing and sharing together just like the PGA and European tour used to, but perhaps the PGA tour got greedy and killed the European tour and they fear LIV doing the same, there is too much greed in the world and it's infecting everything it needs to stop.
Finally someone with an intelligent view on the ongoing conflict
Small credit to Lynch-mob for keeping is gab shut while Harrington spoke.
Three Pro tours. 1) PGAT, 2) Europe and Africa, 3) Asia and Australia of equal status and funding. So three time zone related tours. Saudi should fund the latter two tours unless Chinese companies can finance the Asian tour. The best of the three tours play in the majors and a few other designated World tournaments which must be in Asia and Europe.
Finally, someone said it. 👍
Nobody should support the Saudi backed LIV tour! It normalizes the killing of journalists. A strong European tour is a must though.
Couldn't have said it any better Padraig. Wish the players on the PGA Tour Advisory board had this much sense. Golf would be in a better place
Can you get a word in sideways with Padraig 💚
Always just straight-up gems of wisdom from Mr. Harrington.
I've went from watching golf on TV at every opportunity to watching the majors and a few of the better tournaments. Its too slow, there are very few personalities, I dont want to see scores of 20+ over and the pros are focused on money.
Love Paddy. He's just a straight talker.
YouTube golfers tour – fuk the PGA and LIV.
Great interview!
For those who watched it. Who didn't love and I mean love when Colin Montgomery would come over to play the majors after dominating the European Tour Order of Merit for years. It truly was a great time for golf and the rivalry was outstanding. It was quite literally like having an individual Ryder cup type of buildup. He was Europe's shining knight for the longest time to win the US Open because he was a straight driving machine. I'll never forget the Golf Digest article talking about him having rabbit ears form all of the heckling he would receive. 100% agreed golf needs that second or even third major tour. With the majors serving as the "World Championships". The playoffs ought to be their best against our best and lets see who comes out on top.
Have the LIV tour and DP tour find a way to create a strong world tour that challenges the PGA tour players at some events. Us verses them sells big like Padraig said here. But don't they somehow have to make the top LIV players compete in 72 hole events to EARN world ranking points the way other tours do. Then they clearly earn their way into majors and other big events?