Harrington Honors Retiring Referees

Pádraig Harrington is going to miss his two on-course colleagues, John Paramor and Andy McFee, both of whom are retiring from their positions as the most senior referees on the European Tour in the week of the BMW Championship at Wentworth. Paramor, now 65, started with the tour in 1976, with McFee, now 62, beginning his run of service in ’83.

Oliver Wilson gets a ruling from John Paramor. Photo: Warren Little, Getty Images

Harrington, who cheerfully admits that he would “love to have been a rules’ official,” picked on the word “trust” to sum up why the pair have inspired such confidence over four decades apiece. “It’s a trust that builds over the years,” said the 2021 Ryder Cup captain, “and the best way I can explain it is to say that if, say, I was playing someone in a head-to-head contest and he had asked for a ruling, I would usually be interested in any conversation he would be having with a referee. You have to be in those circumstances. However, if the referee in question was a John or an Andy, I would walk away. They kn...