Padraig Harrington played in last week’s PGA Championship, the one that starred Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, and came away with one realization.
“God, we miss Bryson,” Harrington said.
In a Golf Channel interview live from the Kitchenaid PGA Championship on Wednesday, Harrington essentially said that golf’s divide has hurt the sport, and major weeks like last week prove just how good the product can be when everyone gets together (Sunday ratings on CBS were up 10 percent from last year).
Only problem is, that happens sparingly these days.
“Bryson was box office last week and really, really helped that tournament,” Harrington said. “… It was fantastic, interesting, exciting watching. So yeah we do miss those guys. As I’ve said before, it’s hard to believe we miss Patrick Reed; that’s just the way it is.”
While DeChambeau finished second and seemed to have a large portion of the Sunday gallery in his corner, Reed didn’t fare as well, tying for 53rd. But Harrington’s comments about missing DeChambeau and Reed speak to a larger point that’s been made often over the last couple of years. With guys like DeChambeau, Reed and Brooks Koepka now at LIV Golf, it’s robbed the PGA Tour of some of the sport’s most controversial, interesting or entertaining — for DeChambeau, it might be all three — figures.
Like them or dislike them, those kinds of players bring eyeballs to the game and add storylines.
Next month will be the one-year anniversary of when the PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund agreed to a merger, yet at this point that’s sill pending, with little progress made public (except for PGA Tour Policy Board members stepping down).
On Wednesday at Colonial Country Club, preparing for the Charles Schwab Challenge, Jordan Spieth, a board member, said: “I think the narrative that things are in a bad place and are moving slowly and, you know, some of the things that are asked to me or said are untrue. I think that, I know that it’s false, actually. Things are actually moving positively from both sides.”
So, what’s Paddy’s solution?
“I think, ultimately, if you are looking for me for the perfect solution I would have at least the two tours and have some crossover, like we did back in the day,” Harrington said. “Everybody’s got a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Certain amount of players can come and go back and forth, something like that. Rivalries are good things 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 everyone in golf wants a solution.”
