Harrington hits out at players complaining about spectators’ behaviour
Irish golfer Padraig Harrington has hit out at fellow players who have complained about the behaviour of spectators at golfing events, according to a report on Bunkered.
The golfer has defended the fans after high profile players like Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas complained about some “unacceptable” behaviour by fans at the Genesis Open last week.
McIlroy revealed after the event that some of the shoutings from the side by the fans left him with a “headache” and Thomas was not pleased with the timing of their shouting.
He believed that some fans were intentionally screaming before a shot to put off players and has called for action to be taken.
However, Harrington said that it is one of the main reasons why he loves the sport.
He said:
Every golf tournament, bar the majors, has to be a festival. We’re in the entertainment business. There’s got to be more to it than just 72 holes of golf. There has to be an atmosphere.
Any golf event would be terrible if they went out there and closed the gates and had no spectators.
Clearly if somebody crosses the line, it’s not right. I’ve never had it. I’m not denying that people have had things said to them but it’s not a question of stopping or shutting it all down. It’s a question of managing it.
Harrington will be participating in the Honda Classic tomorrow and has been pencilled in to tee at around 17:35 GMT.