Padraig Harrington Acknowledges Absence of LIV Golf Players at Majors

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington expresses his desire for a solution between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, highlighting the missed presence of top players from the breakaway league at recent tournaments.

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington has expressed his agreement with Phil Mickelson's earlier concerns about the potential long-term impact of preventing LIV Golf players from competing in major championships.

Harrington, who recently played in the PGA Championship, acknowledged the absence of several notable players who have defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour. Among them were Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, and Brooks Koepka.

"I realized last week, God, we missed Bryson [DeChambeau]," Harrington told Golf Channel. "Like Bryson was box office last week and really, really helped that tournament… It was fantastic, interesting, exciting watching."

Harrington emphasized the value of having the most talented players competing in the sport's biggest events.

"Yeah, we do miss those guys," he said. "As I've said before, it's hard to believe we miss Patrick Reed. That's just the way it is."

Harrington drew parallels to his experiences on the European Tour, where players faced a similar dilemma with the emergence of two strong circuits.

"We didn't realize at the time that the two tours being strong — I felt, in hindsight, looks like it was a great thing," he said.

Harrington believes that a solution between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is crucial for the long-term health of the sport.

"Rivalries are a good thing in sport, it's always been helpful. But we do need a solution, I will say that. That's the one thing. Every day for the last two years I've had an opinion and all I've found is wow, it just keeps moving and changing because the scene changes. I think everybody in golf wants a solution," he said.

Harrington identified two key issues that need to be addressed: preventing LIV Golf from poaching the PGA Tour's top players and finding a way to accommodate LIV players in major championships.

"All I know is, the two probably biggest things, we can't let LIV poach the best players off the PGA Tour for nothing, and we also miss the players who have gone to LIV," he said.

Harrington's comments highlight the growing concern among players and fans about the impact of the ongoing rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf on the future of golf.