Graeme McDowell jumped to LIV Golf after enduring what he described as the worst eighteen months of his playing career post Covid.
After seeing no long term future on the PGA Tour for himself, he defected to the Saudi backed tour. But after two underwhelming years, despite picking up over $5million in earnings with just one top-10 finish, the 2010 US Open champion is unsure whether he will have playing privileges on LIV Golf next year.
McDowell’s two-year contract expired upon the conclusion of the LIV Team Championship in Miami on Sunday after he finished a lowly 42nd in the season-long standings with only the top-24 and team captains guaranteed a contract for the 2024 season.
It leaves G Mac wondering what his next move might be because there is no guarantee that he will be offered an extension.
“Being logical about it, I have to look at the list of guys and know I have to be vulnerable,” he said last month. “I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I’ve felt my mortality [as a golfer] before LIV came along. I’d been struggling for a few years. Right after Covid I probably had the worst 18 months of my career.
“I feel like I’ve been a good spokesman for the league and a good ambassador for the tour and hopefully there is a captain that wants me on his team.”
The reality is for McDowell – if the dubious Phil Mickelson is to be believed – that he is yesterday’s man. He was recruited as a stopgap, a big name from yesteryear who was no longer relevant on the main tours.
If Mickelson’s prophecy that big names from the DP World Tour and PGA Tour are itching to join LIV is true then McDowell may have played his last shot on the breakaway tour.
Having joined for business reasons sixteen months ago, over $5million isn’t bad going.
“When something came along that had nothing but upside it was a very compelling opportunity at that point in my career,” he said on The Five Clubs podcast. “For a guy at 43-years-old, running out of time in the sport, it was a great chance.”
McDowell’s decision to play on the LIV Tour looks to have ended his Ryder Cup 2027 captaincy hopes of which he would have been a heavy favourite for in Adare Manor. That honour could go to Justin Rose.
The 44-year-old from Portrush will be 48 before 24 of the world’s best golfers come to Limerick. LIV golfers were not selected to represent Europe while Brooks Koepka proved virtually impossible to ignore for USA skipper Zach Johnson. With developments on the provisional merger between the PIF, DP World Tour and PGA Tour struggling to get off the ground it is unclear whether future Ryder Cups will accommodate LIV players.
McDowell who admitted to a ‘bittersweet’ experience of watching Europe win in Marco Simone will be hoping any developments will aid his cause of rekindling his 2027 captaincy hopes.
“It was a little bittersweet, and I would love to have been part of what they were doing but it is what it is right now and hopefully we’ll see if we can figure that out moving forward,” said McDowell.
“I missed a couple of the hours of the early sessions just due to the time zones that I was in but yeah, I watched a lot. It was good. I really enjoyed it.
“It was the first time that I’ve watched the Ryder Cup on TV. It was good. I mean, listen, it’s one of my favourite events that I’ve competed in. It’s pretty special, it’s something that I’ve got a lot of great memories from and great friendships that I have forged over the years and I was disappointed not to be there but it was great to cheer the boys on from afar!”
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