Padraig Harrington on Graeme McDowell ban: Don’t throw everybody under the bus

Padraig Harrington sympathised with his friend Graeme McDowell over his “harsh” doping ban – but he was not impressed with his reaction. 

McDowell was slapped with a one-tournament suspension and fined $125,000 for violating anti-doping rules at LIV Golf Nashville in June.

The former US Open champion tested positive for R-methamphetamine, a banned substance used in a nasal spray for congestion.

“In an effort to manage it, I used a generic Vick’s nasal decongestant without realising it might be on the banned list,” he later wrote, accepting full responsibility for his oversight.

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But another part of McDowell’s statement also raised eyebrows.

“LIV’s Anti-Doping Policy is designed to be thorough and transparent,” he added. “Unlike some other tours, LIV enforces these rules rigorously, which made this situation particularly challenging for me.”

Harrington felt what was perceived in some quarters as a dig at the PGA Tour’s own doping control was ill-advised.

“I think his comment was about the fact that, you know, why doesn’t had this happen more often on the PGA Tour,” Harrington said at this week’s Irish Open.

He added: “Graeme, friend of mine, and you know, the nasal spray, you always have to be careful with things like that. It’s just one of those things. You can’t take anything that’s over-the-counter at all.

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“So maybe he got thrown out there. Obviously they don’t do that on other tours. They don’t – especially an innocuous thing like that, you don’t [get] thrown out there. Also when something happens like that, you take it on the chin and you don’t throw everybody else under the bus.”

Harrington confirmed that he gets tested on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the weeks he returns to the PGA Tour, but there is no testing on the Champions Tour – the over 50’s domain he plays most frequently on.

“A bit more transparency would not be a harm but I also think that maybe wasn’t the right moment in time to bring it up,” the three-time major champion added.

“When something goes wrong, you just have to take responsibility for it and not sort of drag everybody else.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.