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After years of competing against Tiger on the golf course, Padraig Harrington decided to help his fellow friend out. Harrington has defended Tiger Woods for not playing in his own annual fundraising golf tournament. After all that has happened to Tiger in the last week or so I wouldn’t want to play either. If Tiger were to come and play in the tournament with the cuts and bruises he sustained in the accident it would have been a media frenzy and the tournament itself would have been an afterthought. Harrington realizes that people make mistakes and how private a matter it really is to Tiger and his family. It is not time to pile on like Jesper Parnevik did as he blasted Tiger to no end for his recent admission to “personal failures.” It is time to come help out a man that has single-handedly kept the sport of golf afloat for the last decade or so. Padraig Harrington joined Fox Sports Radio live from Tiger’s golf tournament to talk about his reaction to hearing about Tiger and what the golfing world is thinking, whether he would like to talk to Tiger, and the coverage Tiger is getting now in the United States vs. Ireland in terms of celebrity.
On his reaction to hearing about Tiger and what the golfing world is thinking:
“There is a lot of questions there. It wasn’t a question of Tiger was driving down the motorway drunk and knocked somebody down or something like this. This is a more personal thing. Obviously Tiger has been held in high esteem it is going to be a disappointment to a lot of people. Now that he has come out and said something it is much more of a private matter and its much more of a personal thing. I think up until now there was a lot of speculation and interest in it and as I have said the other day I have learned of a lot of gossip websites. It was something that everybody was interested in and as more comes out it becomes more personal and much more of his own business really.”
Whether he would like to talk to Tiger:
“I would. I think we would all be happy to talk with him and lend support whatever way it goes because it is a very difficult time. I am sure everybody in that situation feels very alone and there is a lot of support for him amongst the players and them both. It is not like you are supporting one side. This is obviously a difficult time for any family and nobody wants to see anybody go through that. It is tougher for Tiger and Elin because it is in the spotlight. These are things that you have to take as the fact of life. He is the number one sports star in the world. I mean anything he does is going to be in the public spotlight. It does make it a little bit tougher and you have to accept that fact. I think the players… We are not supportive of Tiger because he is a golfer. We are supportive of anybody who is going through difficulties in a marriage. It is not a nice thing to have happen and I am sure they will come through it strongly.”
On the coverage Tiger is getting now in the United States vs. Ireland in terms of celebrity:
“No. Tiger is all the way around the world. I saw the Britain news on it when it happened and he was a front page on every single newspaper the following day. Bare in mind that was the same day that a terrorist attack killed 89 people in Russia and Tiger still made front page. You know and Tiger has created that and he is one of the most recognized people in the world. He is a story no matter what is happening. So it is difficult but that is life.”
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