Did LIV execs cross ‘etiquette’ line at Masters? 3-time main winner has thought

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, again in early February, at their first LIV Golf occasion, got reduction. They had been instructed that they wouldn’t be fined.

They had been instructed that they might swear. 

For readability, right here was the entire trade, began by a reporter:

“For Tyrrell, you had a fairly humorous media trade on the Ryder Cup about your proclivity for swearing and the way a lot you embrace it. I puzzled, out right here, I don’t know that they high quality for that. Might this presumably imply that there could be extra?”

Stated Rahm: “Maintain on, do they? As a result of we’re each in hassle.”

Stated a LIV Golf moderator: “We don’t high quality for that.”

Stated Hatton: “Yeah, I feel me and Jon might have been in hassle, however I feel we’ll be OK.”

Stated Rahm: “We might have positively been in hassle earlier than. No less than I’ve.”

Leap forward now two months, and Padraig Harrington was shocked. 

He mentioned he’d been watching the Masters — and the three-time main winner believed that LIV execs at Augusta crossed an “etiquette” line with a few of their phrases. 

“I’ll say the facet impact of this, which I used to be shocked,” Harrington mentioned, “there was fairly a little bit of — on the Masters final week, there was an terrible lot of additional expletives from LIV gamers, and clearly LIV gamers don’t get fined for expletives, and I’m not saying they’re inspired, however they’re definitely not discouraged from doing it. So it was attention-grabbing that there was these gamers who might need held again up to now who are actually LIV gamers had been letting go totally. 

“I don’t thoughts the odd little bit of cursing and a little bit of that, but it surely was just a little — you understand, you bought to — there’s bought to be some form of restriction on it not directly. In order that was attention-grabbing. I’m simply saying that that’s not an enormous deal or something.”

Harrington was speaking on the newest episode of “The Tough Lower Golf Podcast” hosted by Peter Finch, which you’ll listen to here. The commentary got here after he’d been requested for his view of professional golf, and whether or not it was altering for the higher or the more serious — and Harrington dove into the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, excursions which have now been competing for gamers and status for 3 seasons. 

Notably, Harrington mentioned he wasn’t bothered by having two excursions, and he mentioned he didn’t essentially assist having all the perfect gamers enjoying collectively continuously. That’s just a little boring, he mentioned. “I just like the previous mannequin, the place European Tour was very sturdy and we’d go and play within the U.S.,” Harrington mentioned. “We’d have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder and we’d wish to do properly. And you understand, there was a bit of pleasure about that.”

The PGA Tour, although, is lacking its anti-heroes, he mentioned. He mentioned the Tour is particularly lacking Patrick Reed. 

Harrington then provided his thought on swearing. He later added this: 

“Yeah, there’s no maintain again on LIV on that and perhaps, you understand, that’s one thing that I don’t wish to see going into the sport. Look, I’m not towards the gamers breaking a golf membership. My — after I got here out within the sport, I’d have been very, very sturdy — and I nonetheless am sturdy on the etiquette of the sport. And I wouldn’t break a membership and I will surely attempt to not curse or do any of that form of stuff. However I’ve mellowed a bit that I don’t thoughts what some other participant does so long as he doesn’t injury the golf course or have an effect on his enjoying companions. So I’ve no downside If one other participant wish to break 14 golf equipment, I’ll really snort at him. It’s no downside. However I’m not glad if he decides to smash up a chunk of floor on the golf course, you understand. So something you wish to do to your self, properly … that’s high quality. 

“And as I mentioned, I feel most gamers discover it humorous once we see one other participant shedding the pinnacle. However there positively must be some moderation on it. There was just a little bit an excessive amount of of it.”  

Editor’s word: To hearken to your complete episode of “The Tough Lower Golf Podcast,” please click here. 

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his position, he’s chargeable for modifying, writing and growing tales throughout the golf house. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be enjoying the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and brief, and ingesting a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You’ll be able to attain out to him about any of those matters — his tales, his sport or his beers — at [email protected].