'I Really Expected Him To Understand' - Roger Maltbie Explains Padraig Harrington Incident At US Senior Open

After a second consecutive three-under-par round of 67, Padraig Harrington found himself in a share of the lead at the US Senior Open; however, it was an off-course incident that drew the headlines on Friday.

Following his second round, a video of Harrington circulated online, with the three-time Major winner seen in a war-of-words with NBC's on-course analyst Roger Maltbie.

Reportedly, the incident was over the fact that Maltbie, a five-time PGA Tour winner, didn't help look for Harrington's golf ball at the par 4 15th, when the three-time Major winner went left into the trees.

In the video above, Harrington can be heard saying: "Never on a golf course stand and look at somebody looking for a golf ball," before adding "you've played golf all your life. You understand."

Standing his ground, Maltbie held firm against Harrington, with the duo eventually parting ways after the conclusion of their verbal squabble.

The video raised a number of questions and now, speaking to Golf.com, Maltbie has revealed what exactly happened on Friday afternoon, with the NBC analyst giving his version of events.

Explaining that he was unable to help Harrington search for his ball due to his producer asking the 73-year-old to deliver an update of what was happening, Maltbie added: "I can’t do it (the report) from inside the thick of the trees.

"So I stayed outside, and then (Harrington) walked near me and he said, ‘You could help search for the ball,’ and I just didn’t respond.” According to Maltbie, the tee shot was deep in the trees, with the odds of finding it "slim."

Going back to the tee, Harrington did make a birdie with his second ball, which resulted in just the one dropped shot. However, the moment, reportedly, irked Harrington who, to his credit, finished one-under for his remaining three holes to get to six-under.

Wanting to clear the air with Harrington, Maltbie also wanted to clarify why he had not helped the 53-year-old search for his ball at the par 4 15th.

"I’ve never had a cross word with Padraig. I’ve been a Padraig fan all these years. Anyway, I tried to explain to him, ‘Padraig, my producer had told me to stand by. They were going to come to me for a report. I could not do it, searching for your ball inside those trees. So I did not go in.’

“Every time I tried to explain to him (my position), he said, ‘It’s poor etiquette. It’s golf etiquette to help somebody search for a ball, and that I should know better after the years of playing.

“I tried to say, 'Listen, I have a boss. I’m not a player, and if I were a spectator or certainly playing with him, I would have helped him search for his ball'. But I was under instructions. It just wouldn’t work. But he wanted no part of it.

“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. I mean, his caddie works for him, so I’m sure his caddie does what Padraig tells him to do. Well, I have an employer, and if they tell me basically what I’m going to do or what they want from me, I have to honor that.

"He just doesn’t see it that way... Padraig has lots of opinions, and some of them are quite contrary to what most people think, which is part of his charm. I mean, that’s part of what makes him Padraig — he has very unique takes on things. But I really expected him to understand.”