YouTube golf star Peter Finch has shared his thoughts on Padraig Harrington’s recent claim on LIV Golf players excessively swearing during the 2024 Masters.
Three-time major winner Harrington hit the headlines last week when he claimed he was surprised at the level of expletives from LIV Golf players at Augusta.
He said: “A side-effect which I was surprised about. There was quite a bit on the Masters last week. There was an awful lot of extra expletives from LIV players.
“Clearly, LIV players don’t get fined for expletives, and I am not saying they’re encouraged, but they’re certainly not discouraged from doing it.”
After The Golfing Gazette initially picked up on Harrington’s comments, mainstream outlets such as The Daily Mirror and Golf.com produced stories on the Irishman’s claim.
Finch, who held the initial interview with the former Open champion, has since had his say on whether swearing should be allowed on the golf course.
Peter Finch shares his thoughts on Padraig Harrington’s claim on LIV Golf players
Speaking on his ‘Rough Cut Podcast’, Finch agreed with Harrington’s sentiment around expletives getting out of hand.
He said: “To put this in context, I saw this in The Mirror; it was on Twitter, and it was in quite a few places about Padraig saying it’s maybe just gone a little bit too far as the outbursts on the golf course.
“It didn’t feel like he was saying you shouldn’t swear on the golf course; it was almost like saying, in some respects, it’s gone a little bit too far, and The Masters was the example where he was talking about a couple of the LIV guys who were bursting out with these expletives at Augusta.”
On a personal level, the YouTube golf personality claimed the swearing issue doesn’t bother him.
“Personally, it doesn’t bother me,” he added. “In some contexts, it can be funny. Golf, as we all know, is an exceptionally frustrating sport. I swear on the golf course sometimes to relieve tension; sometimes, it’s self-loathing. Sometimes, I just fancy having a swear.”
Finally, Finch suggested that some guys on tour do go over the top regarding some of the language used.
He added: “With the guys on the tour, they don’t wear microphones, but there’s boom mics all around, so if they do swear, then they have to be quite loud about it, and that’s what Harrington was picking up on. Sometimes, it feels like a few players go out of their way to go over the top. That’s where maybe I net out on it.”
Padraig Harrington’s initial comments are spot-on
Of course, there are going to be varying opinions on whether swearing should be acceptable on the golf course. Letting out frustration is natural and shouldn’t be made a crime, but there is a line.
Kevin Na, for example, produced an extraordinary outburst during LIV’s recent event in Adelaide; the whole episode was uncomfortable to watch and was perhaps difficult for the spectators in close proximity to the American.
Harrington is right with his initial comments. If the swearing doesn’t impact playing partners, then it’s probably an acceptable level. If a fellow pro’s game is impacted through expletives, then it’s pretty clear the outburst was over the top.
Evidently, LIV players aren’t picked up on their foul language, meaning their behaviour at Augusta could’ve come as a surprise to those who weren’t familiar with the Saudi-based tour.
Hopefully, for the reputation of the game, discourse around foul and abusive language doesn’t become the norm.
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