There will be no second Ryder Cup leadership for Padraig Harrington, who is still pals with the LIV team.
There will be no second Ryder Cup leadership for Padraig Harrington, who is still pals with the LIV team. On Monday, LIV and non-LIV players, as well as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, warmed up on the range at Adare Manor, the host of the Ryder Cup in five years. Ten players from the Saudi-backed rival league, including Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Graeme McDowell, Pat Perez, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Bernd Wiesberger, took part in the two-day JP McManus Pro-Am. Some people there said the scene was tense. But at least one person who didn’t play LIV thought it wasn’t nearly as strange.
What Harrington Said
Padraig Harrington, who has captained and played in the Ryder Cup with several of the PGA Tour/DPWT defectors, said, “Honestly, all these guys are my friends, 100%.”
Harrington went on to say, “Being here is a little bit like Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving for your family. … We’ll Americanize it: You could be a Republican, they could be a Democrat, but you’re friends at that particular time, and maybe politics isn’t mentioned at the dinner table. We are here for two days, and it’s great to see. You know, golf is getting a bit of a hard time at the moment. It’s great to see, look what we can do with golf. Look at the money that’s raised here. Look at the people that are going to enjoy this weekend. It’s great to see what golf can really do in a situation like this.”
Harrington didn’t have much to say about the Ryder Cup. There are still a lot of questions about whether or not LIV players on the European team will be allowed to play or captain. Poulter, Westwood, McDowell, and Kaymer are all Ryder Cup veterans and could be captains in the future. Even Henrik Stenson, who will be captain next year, has been rumored to be joining LIV.
Harrington and Captaincy
Harrington is sure that he will not run for captain again after leading the Europeans to victory at Whistling Straits last year.
“I think there’s plenty of people who have got a future in being Ryder Cup captain, and I think everybody should be given that chance. I had my chance. As much as I loved the experience of being Ryder Cup captain, and I really did, it was a tough call, and I don’t see myself going back into that arena again. It’s just the nature of the business. It’s a one-and-done, and it’s a bigger event than the individual,” Harrington stated.
“So, there’s loads of worthy captains. Whatever happens, there’s plenty of people out there who will do the job justice.”
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