PGA Tour officials, including Tiger Woods, met with representatives from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in New York this week, despite Wednesday marking 23 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
News of these debates has understandably infuriated 9/11 families and many New Yorkers. Rory McIlroy even called it “strange timing” speaking from Royal County Down, where he is playing in the Irish Open this week, and Padraig Harrington, who will also be teeing off there, is not shy about offering his views and offering solutions to any and all golf-swing problems.
But Harrington, now 53, knows the world of professional golf better than anyone – he rose through the ranks on what was then the European Tour and has since become a fixture on the PGA Tour – so the Dublin native has offered a solution to the rift between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf, which continue to operate separately from each other.
“Ideally, I would propose inviting four LIV players to every PGA Tour and European Tour event and four international team players to every LIV event,” Harrington said at the Irish Open.
“That way you get enough crossover to have Jon Rahm playing on the European Tour or Abraham Ansell playing the Mexican Open. It's not like four PGA Tour players come over and they're not welcome, so there's a buzz at their events.”
Perhaps Harrington should withdraw from the Irish Open and fly to New York to take part in these meetings. All joking aside, his perspective and ideas could be a good starting point for these negotiations.
Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had little to say about the deal while speaking at the Tour Championship on Aug. 28, but he said the priority of reaching an agreement has been “reinforced.”
“I think we’re being very patient right now. [PIF Governor] Yasir [al-Rumayyan] “After the first round of the Irish Open, Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald won 'The Star of the Year' and Jay Monahan played with him. I think it's frustrating for a lot of players to see how slowly it's all moving.”
“[But] I've heard there's been some progress in the last few weeks.”
Getting Harrington in the room could speed up progress.
“If there are four LIV players this week [at Royal County Down], [everyone] “They're going to get noticed and people are going to see it,” Harrington said.
“Some people will want them to do well, some people will want them to do poorly, but it creates a bit of a buzz and vice versa. If you have four PGA Tour players or four international players in a LIV event, they're not going to want that team to win. They're not going to want an outsider. So it creates a bit of a buzz for them.”
Harrington then made a disappointing prediction, which is probably the most likely scenario in all of this.
“I don't think golf will integrate, that's what they're struggling with,” the Irishman said.
“Rivalries are good for the sport. We've seen it this year at the majors. The majors are more exciting than they've ever been because of the rivalries. Why don't we have rivalries this week? Why don't we have some guys like Tyrrell? [Hatton] There was a lot of buzz after his play at the British Masters two weeks ago. I'm sure a lot of the local fans will be hoping for him to do well, but there will also be a lot of fans who don't want him to do well. In the right circumstances, that's a good thing.”
The final round of the 2024 U.S. Open was golf's most thrilling finish in a long time. LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau vs. recent PGA Tour champion McIlroy. America vs. Europe. YouTube viewers vs. legacy fans. The comparisons aren't the only ones, but they all underscore Harrington's point. Rivalries are healthy for the sport. Look no further than other examples in golf history that helped shape the sport we love: Ernie, Jack, Gary Player and Tom, Tiger vs. Phil, Team USA vs. Team Europe.
But now, with LIV Golf and the PGA Tour competing side-by-side on only the four majors, their importance has increased while the overall success of the non-major tournaments has declined. Golf fans have been left behind while the majors have grown in importance. And regardless of where they are held, the majors seem to get bigger every year.
“[My idea is] “I think the only solution is in golf,” Harrington added.
“They can make all sorts of business solutions, which is a whole other story, but it's not convincing. The PGA Tour players are in the best situation they've ever been in. It's not convincing to say they're going to play 10 or 14 extra events around the world. They struggle with the idea of travelling to Asia and so on. They're nervous about the pain of jet lag and so on.”
As LIV golf became more popular, the PGA Tour responded by doling out even more prize money to its top stars. The Tour also created Signature Events, eight limited-field events with a total prize purse of $20 million and $4 million to the winner. Most of these are no-cut events, which guarantees that all the stars will play that weekend, which is great news for TV partners.
Harrington understands all this, but he also knows that his perspective is limited.
“I don't have a seat at the top table,” Harrington said.
“That's why I'm sitting here in the media center telling you all about solutions.”
Given these thoughts and his unique worldview, perhaps Harrington should sit in the middle of a conference room and spell out what the PGA Tour and LIV Golf should do about the game itself. Many players would welcome that, including Monahan and Al Rumayyan.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
