U.S. Senior Open Sees Heated Exchange: Harrington Confronts NBC's Maltbie Over Etiquette Breach

A heated exchange between Padraig Harrington and NBC's on-course reporter, Roger Maltbie, has become a talking point at the U.S. Senior Open in Colorado Springs. The disagreement arose from an incident during Harrington's opening round.

A video captured by a local TV reporter shows Harrington confronting Maltbie near the scoring area. "Never on a golf course stand and look at somebody looking for a golf ball," Harrington stated in the video. "You've played golf all your life. You understand."

The incident occurred on Thursday when Harrington's tee shot on the 15th hole landed in a dense thicket. A search party of approximately a dozen people spent the allotted three minutes attempting to locate the ball without success. Harrington returned to the tee, hit his third shot, and ultimately salvaged a bogey. Despite the setback, he finished the day tied for the lead.

Roger Maltbie, a seasoned on-course reporter and former PGA Tour player from the 1970s and 80s, was present in the vicinity during the search. In an interview with Golf.com on Saturday, Maltbie explained that he was assigned to report on the situation and could not abandon his duties to assist in the search.

The confrontation between Harrington and Maltbie took place near the scoring area a day after the initial incident.

Maltbie can be heard questioning Harrington, "So I should have disobeyed my producer?"

In his Golf.com interview, Maltbie revealed his internal struggle: "I was very close to saying, 'All these years, all these checks I've gotten from NBC, your name isn't on any of them.'"