“They definitely warrant consideration” - Padraig Harrington dismisses ‘silly’ idea of not picking LIV players for Ryder Cup

Irish golfer Padraig Harrington defended the return of players playing on the LIV Golf circuit to the Ryder Cup. In his opinion, the players of the tour financially backed by Saudi Arabia "definitely warrant consideration" and described as "silly" the idea of not taking them into account.

In a recent interview with the Bunkered media, Padraig Harrington spared no effort in defending the integration of the teams to the Ryder Cup without exclusions.

“I think the Ryder Cup is going to have the LIV players back. They definitely warrant consideration. They’re good players. To suggest there aren’t players capable of being Ryder Cup players over at LIV would be silly."

From the perspective of his experience, he believes that the current differences can be put aside, if not completely overcome, for the next edition of the tournament.

“The rules have been changed before. The whole idea of this [merger] is [to] not do any harm or damage to anybody in this situation. What I’m suggesting is everybody is given a clean slate.”

He also felt that it is time to "get over it," as far as the past differences between players who joined LIV Golf and those who stayed with PGA.

“For a week, you get over it. Myself and Sergio [Garcia] used to hug at the Ryder Cup. When you are playing, you get over these things, and you work through it. You would be surprised – a bit of tension does help, and you want a bit of drive in there. Everything goes out the window at the Ryder Cup to make the best possible team."

He added:

“All teams have it. Look at the England football team. Most of the players are kicking the hell out of each other in matches two weeks previous, so I don’t see tension being an issue."

Harrington said that the presence of LIV players could even be a positive for the Ryder Cup. In his opinion, these players would do even more to validate the quality of the circuit where they play in the tournament that pits the United States vs. Europe.

“You wouldn’t necessarily be partnering them up, but you could have a situation where two LIV players are picked on the team, and they are so desperate to win five points each to prove the value of LIV, that it could be good.”

Padraig Harrington illustrious record in Ryder Cup

Padraig Harrington was a member of Europe's Ryder Cup team six times (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) and was its non-playing captain in 2020.

Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy at the 2023 PGA Championship (Image via Getty).

Harrington won the Ryder Cup four times, all as a player. In his 28-season career as a professional golfer, he has won 21 tournaments (6 on the PGA Tour and 15 on other circuits).

Among them are three majors: the Open Championship (2007-08) and the PGA Championship (2008). His victory in the 1997 World Cup also stands out. In 2024, he will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.