Roger Maltbie gives his side of the story in the Padraig Harrington dispute

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[PHOTO: Andrew Wevers]

It was late on Friday in Colorado, after the second round of the US Senior Open, when a video went viral of NBC Sports’ on-course analyst Roger Maltbie and Padraig Harrington having words towards each other. It was bizarre, coming from two of the more well-liked people in the golf business.

It turns out Harrington was a little miffed that Maltbie didn’t help him find his ball on the 15th hole during the second round at The Broadmoor.

RELATED: Padraig joyfully and gratefully wins his second US Senior Open, Mark Hensby finishes T-4

“You’ve played golf all your life,” Harrington can be heard saying. “You understand.”

Maltbie, who played on the PGA Tour for more than 20 years and has worked for NBC Sports for longer than that, would not back down.

“I’m not a player,” he said.

Harrington didn’t seem to care and his contention was that if you’re in the general vicinity it’s proper to help the player look for his lost nugget. (Ultimately, Harrington went on to win his second US Senior Open title, shooting 68-67 on the weekend to end at 11-under total and beat Stewart Cink by a shot.)

Maltbie was reached by Golf.com on Saturday and asked to explain his side of the awkward dust-up.

“I can’t do it from inside the thick of the trees,” Maltbie told Golf.com. “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.”

Maltbie continued and said, “the odds of finding it were slim.”

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

“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 cheques 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 honour that. But he just doesn’t see it that way.”

Maltbie’s friend, and longtime NBC Sports commentator Mark Rolfing sent a note later on Twitter saying, “FYI, everyone, all is good! Harrington has apologised to Roger and Rog has fully accepted.”

So, case closed?