Pádraig Harrington doesn’t believe that merging the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League is possible given the bloated schedule of golf’s major tours but insists a scenario where LIV players are invited to the PGA Tour and Europe and vice versa would inject golf with a much needed buzz and bring back some old school rivalry.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a match which could give an insight into what golf could be like in a few years and Harrington believes something similar where slots are allocated for players to jump from tour to tour would benefit the men’s professional game in the wake of dwindling TV figures on the PGA Tour.
“I would suggest that every PGA TOUR and the European Tour event should have four invites for LIV players, and every LIV event should have four invites for an International team,” explained Harrington who believes a LIV presence at Royal County Down for the Amgen Irish Open would create a fiery atmosphere.
“That way we have enough crossover that we can get Jon Rahm to play the European Tour and we get Abraham Ancer to play the Mexican Open. If four PGA TOUR guys come over, it’s not like they are going to be welcomed with open arms; so that creates buzz at their events.
“Like if we had four LIV players this week, they would be focused on them, and people would be watching it. Some people would be wanting them to do well and some people would be wanting them to do badly. But that would create a bit of a buzz and vice versa, if four PGA TOUR players or four international players turned up at a LIV event, they wouldn’t want that team winning, they wouldn’t want the outsiders, so that creates a bit of a buzz for them.”
Now that the PGA Tour season has ended the DP World Tour will peak towards the end of 2024 with the Amgen Irish Open and two signature events included to round off the campaign.
Jon Rahm has not yet been confirmed in the field for the Spanish Open in a fortnight as one of his four obligated events to be eligible for Ryder Cup selection, while Tyrrell Hatton played in the British Masters and Brooks Koepka will tee it up in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“There’s too many tournaments as there is. We’ve got the PGA TOUR, Europe is fighting for its corner to get tournaments, like this week is a great week for the Irish Open It’s the perfect date. You start adding in more events and who are you fighting against for players at that stage. Most players say they want to play less so it’s hard to add another 14 tournaments and have players have dual membership,” added Harrington.
“That’s the only solution I see in golfing. They can do all the business solutions, that’s a completely different thing but the guys on the PGA TOUR have never had it better. You’re not convincing them that they are going to play an extra ten events, 14 events around the world; that they have struggled with that idea of traveling to Asia or something like that that are, they are just not comfortable with the extra jet-lag and all that.”
Harrington stressed at the Open Championship that he doesn’t see the major tours merging and he reiterated that point while also remarking that finding a model that is similar to the majors where the best players in the world are together more often would bring back some old school rivalries in golf.
“I don’t see the golfing merging. That’s what they are struggling with. I played 28 to 30 events but the young guys are going to struggle to do that. But maybe having an invite — and nobody has to like each other. You know, it’s good for sport when you have rivalries, and we’ve seen it at the majors this year.
“The majors have never been better because of those rivalries, so why couldn’t we have that this week? Why couldn’t we have a few guys — like I’m sure Tyrrell playing last week created a great buzz, two weeks ago at the British Masters. There will be a lot of home fans wanting him to do well and then there’s plenty of people that didn’t want him to do well. In the right context, that’s good.
“That’s my solution. I’m not sitting at the top table. That’s why I’m sitting in the media centre telling you my solution.”
Perhaps Harrington should be at the top table but at 53 years of age, the competitive flame still burns just as bright as it did when he was winning an Irish Open and three majors between 2007 and 2008.
The Dubliner is an iconic figure in Irish sport and is in the conversation for Ireland’s greatest sportsperson as he prepares for his 29th successive Irish Open appearance.
“I didn’t realise it was my 29th, yeah, this must be the one that I’ve played the most. No, I love coming back. Yeah, feeling a little tougher this year. I don’t know if I’m older or what it is but I think we’re all feeling that in the couple of practise rounds we’ve played.
“I do enjoy it. I enjoy the fact now, actually, obviously brought back to the level that maybe I grew up with the Irish Open being one of the premiere events on the Tour, and I know we’ve got a tough course here but the players are abuzz about it. They feel that it is the biggest event this week in golf. It’s nice. It’s a nice atmosphere. It’s a nice feel and it’s great as an Irish player that you can be proud of the event, the Amgen Irish Open.”
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