Harrington makes his feelings perfectly clear on LIV Golf players at Ryder Cup

23 June 2023 , 15:25

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Harrington makes his feelings perfectly clear on LIV Golf players at Ryder Cup

Padraig Harrington believes LIV Golf players should be picked at this year's Ryder Cup, amid the uncertainty surrounding whether the rebel stars will be selected for either side.

With the Ryder Cup edging ever closer it still remains to be seen as to whether LIV players will be included at the matchplay event. American captain Zach Johnson may not have a choice on the matter, after Brooks Koepka swooped into an automatic qualification spot with his victory at the PGA Championship last month.

On the European side the answer appears to have been already answered for skipper Luke Donald too, after a whole host of big names resigned their DP World Tour memberships in April due to their LIV allegiances.

This therefore makes the likes of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood ineligible as European players require Tour membership to represent their continent. Not all are out of the running though, and with the event just three months away, both captains will still be scratching their heads.

One man who believes players should not be snubbed due to their LIV membership though is Harrington. The Irishman captained the Europeans to defeat at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, and had his say on the dilemma posed to his successor.

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He told Bunkered : "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.

Padraig Harrington captained Europe in 2021 (Getty Images)

A number of LIV stars are ineligible (Getty Images)

“A couple of them are at the stage [where] it [might be] their last hurrah, but not all of them for sure. Luke’s got to pick his best team at the end of the day.” A concern of many is the division that has been caused within the game, with once teammates on both sides of golf's recent civil war.

However with the PGA Tour and LIV recently agreeing a truce, it appears professional golf is beginning to heal, with friends-turned-foes Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia reportedly reconciling at last week's US Open. Amid the drama, Harrington believes the recent rivalry could do the European team some good.

"For a week, you get over it,” he added. "Myself and Sergio 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.

Joshua Lees