"It's great for the Majors" - 3x Major winner Padraig Harrington weighs in on LIV Golf and PGA Tour controversy as European Tour gets 'pushed aside'

Three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington has opened up about the rivalry between PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Harrington will be competing in the upcoming The Open Championship 2024 at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland.

In an interview with Golf Monthly, the Irish golfer spoke about the rivalry between LIV Golf and PGA Tour. He said:

"I'm a big fan of the rivalries from competing Tours. I was brought up with a strong European Tour and PGA Tour. There was always a little bit of niggle, not just in the Ryder Cup, but in other events. If you went over there and won in the States, you won for Europe."

Padraig Harrington said that LIV players winning Majors adds to the rivalry and excitement. He said that since the audience doesn't see LIV Golfers much and isn't sure what form they're in, it adds a sense of intrigue. Harrington further said that he enjoyed the battles between Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele in the recent Majors.

The two-time The Open Championship winner added:

"There will be plenty of people that don't want to see a LIV win, but there’s some that won’t want to see a PGA Tour player win. So it's good for the angst around this and it's great for the Majors and the excitement. It's great."

However, Harrington also addressed the downside of the rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He said that because of it the European Tour is getting 'pushed aside.'

Padraig Harrington will be participating in The Open Championship 2024 which will be held from July 18 to 21. He has missed the cut in four of his last six starts at the tournament. His last top-25 finish came in 2015 at St. Andrews' Old Course where he finished tied at 20th.

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A look at Padraig Harrington's performance in 2024

Padraig Harrington has had a great season on the PGA Tour Champions Tour but failed to make a mark on the PGA Tour.

The 52-year-old Harrington has missed the cut in five of his six starts on the PGA Tour. However, on the PGA Tour Champions, he has had two wins among top-20 finishes in all of his eight starts this year. He won the 2024 Hoag Classic and the 2024 DICK's Open.

Here's a look at Padraig Harrington's performance in 2024:

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

• Mexico Open at Vidanta: T52 (72-66-72-70, 280, -4)
• Cognizant Classic: Missed Cut (71-73, 144, +2)
• Texas Children's Houston Open: Missed Cut (70-74, 144, +4)
• Valero Texas Open: Missed Cut (75-75, 150, +6)
• PGA Championship: Missed Cut (77-75, 152, +10)
• Genesis Scottish Open: Missed Cut (70-71, 141, +1)

2023-24 DP World Tournaments

• Hero Dubai Desert Classic: Missed Cut (73-79, 152, +8)
• Ras al Khaimah Championship: T70 (71-67-73-75, 286, -2)

2024 PGA TOUR Champions Tournaments

• Chubb Classic: T15 (69-70, 139, -5)
• Cologuard Classic: T14 (70-70-65, 205, -8)
• Hoag Classic: 1 (63-67-69, 199, -14)
• Insperity Invitational: T19 (70-72, 142, -2)
• Regions Tradition: T8 (65-70-69-74, 278, -10)
• KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship: T17 (74-68-70-67, 279, -5)
• DICK'S Open: 1 (68-65-68, 201, -15)
• U.S. Senior Open Championship: T16 (66-71-69-71, 277, -3)