Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington has backed Rory McIlroy's decision to play a round of golf with United States President Donald Trump.
McIlroy played with the American President last month, as he continued his comeback from a rib injury. The Hollywood golfer was widely criticised for playing a round with the 70-year-old.
Speaking ahead of Lollipop Day, Harrington told George Hook on High Noon, that he backed McIlroy's decision to play with Trump in Florida.
"I'm probably in the lucky position that he's not going to ask me. He's the President of the United States. You respect the position of President of the United States. If you were asked, of course you would go out and respect it."
"At the end of the day, he was the one who was democratically elected" @padraig_h tells @ghook, backing McIlroy on golfing with Trump.
— High Noon (@HighNoonNT) March 2, 2017
"I've played in many places and have been at functions with people that I wouldn't vote for their politics or like their politics. You have got to respect the position."
Trump was elected President last November, and Harrington added that his personal opinions on the President did not matter.
"He's the one that was democratically elected. As much as you have personal opinions on these matters, it's a bigger issue than that."
Padraig Harrington is a patron of the Oesophageal Cancer Fund. He was speaking to High Noon ahead of the charity's annual fund-raising event Lollipop Day, which takes place (tomorrow) Friday March 3rd and Saturday March 4th.
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