Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington believes the PGA Tour miss the presence of one of LIV Golf's biggest names in Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau impressed at last week's PGA Championship, finishing second by just one shot behind eventual champion Xander Schauffele. Ever the entertainer, the LIV star put on a show on the way to his runner-up finish, carding a superb seven-under-par 64 in last Sunday's final round.
The 30-year-old provided a timely reminder of what he is capable of at the top of the professional game, having not played on the PGA Tour in nearly two years due to being banned for making the move to LIV Golf.
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Having watched DeChambeau's showing in Kentucky, former PGA champion Harrington was issued a key reminder when it came to the the absence of LIV members. "I got to say, I didn't realise when it came to LIV, you know, some of the guys left, and he said, you know, didn't bother me," he told Golf Channel.
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"A lot of my friends went to LIV as well, but some of the guys left. But I realized last week, God, we missed Bryson. Like, Bryson was box office last week, and really, really helped that tournament, helped push Xanders win on it. It was fantastic. Interesting, exciting watching, you know? So, yeah, we do miss. We miss those guys. t's hard to believe we miss Patrick Reed, but that's just the way it is."
Having announced a shock framework agreement last June, the PGA Tour remain in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia over a peace deal with LIV.
Padraig Harrington spoke highly of Bryson DeChambeau (Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)Initially, a deadline of December 31 had been set to sign off an agreement between the two rivals, but this target was of course missed at the end of 2023. Harrington is hoping the deal will see the world's best players reunite. "Ultimately, if you're looking to me for the perfect solution I would have at least the two tours and have some crossover like we did back in the day," he said.
"Everybody's got a bit of chip on their shoulder, a certain amount of players can go back and forth, with a few invites or something like that. Rivalries are a good thing in sport, that's always been helpful. But we do need a solution I will say that. Every day for the last two years I've had an opinion and all I've found is that it keeps moving and changing because the scene changes - I think everybody in golf wants a solution."
Doubt had been cast over the future of the deal in recent weeks, after two Tour policy board directors handed in their resignations in Jimmy Dunne and Mark Flaherty. Player director Jordan Spieth however, provided a positive update at this week's Charl Schwab Challenge.
"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," he said. "I know that it's false, actually. Things are actually moving positively from both sides. I think ultimately we'll end up in a place where professional golf is maybe the best that it's ever been."
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