Not everyone was complimentary of Sergio Garcia after his Masters triumph.

Spending years losing the Majors with 73 failed attempts at victory, Garcia won his first tournament in Augusta last weekend, and spectators were just as euphoric as he was.

But, his rival Padraig Harrington had other opinions.

While congratulating him on winning the Masters, he called the Spaniard a 'sore loser' for not taking defeat as graciously as others. 

Harrington had to sit out of this tournament with an injury but was there to congratulate his rival in Augusta.

He told the Mirror: "I was as polite as I could and was as generous as I could be, but he was a very sore loser.

"And he continued to be a very sore loser.

“So clearly, after that, we have had a very sticky wicket. The Ryder Cup improved it no end."

The rivalry dates back to their clash in the 2007 Open Championship in Carnoustie, which Harrington won. The four-hole playoff saw the Irishman overcome a six-shot deficit to beat Garcia.

It's really from here, as well as his second victory over the Spaniard in the PGA Tournament, where the Irishman's opinions originate.

He describes their encounters as awkward because of their competition, but also highlighted the differences between them on ESPN.

“We say hello to each other every day and it is through gritted teeth, there is no doubt about it. I know he is watching what I am doing and I am watching what he is doing. It is one of those things. He’s a rival.

"Myself and Sergio have been on tour as long as each other. We would have been the opposite. He is a very flamboyant game, everything comes easy. There were periods he never practiced. We were such opposites. I worked at it, grinded it out. Got the best out of it."

It wouldn't be hard to read these as sly digs at all, but he was more straightforward in praise as he commented on the Spaniard's reaction to winning his first major.

“I was delighted to see the emotion on the 18th green. Maybe I am a bit harsh with the fact that I look and say, well, everything comes easy to Sergio. But clearly, it hasn’t come easy to him."

Let's see if that changes if the two meet on the course in the future...