Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has now joined the likes of fellow European Team
colleagues Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood and Scot Stephen Gallacher in strongly suggesting it may be best to push back the hosting of the 43rd Ryder Cup to 2021.
McDowell made his Ryder Cup debut in the 2008 haplessly led Nick Faldo side
and is a veteran now of five Ryder Cups, the last being in France as a
vice-captain.
And while striving to qualify automatically for Padraig Harrington’s team,
it’s certain McDowell will travel to Whistling Straits as a shoo-in
vice-captain.
“I just can’t imagine the jigsaw puzzle the European Tour and the PGA Tour
will have on their hands,” said McDowell.
“It’s a difficult one. When you see the high-level stuff like the Olympic
Games postponed, I don’t think you can put the Ryder Cup in that category.
When athletes around the world have their training compromised there is no
doubt the qualifying is going to be compromised.
“If we could be back to playing golf around June time, you could argue that
would give us four solid months for the qualifying process. If you could
pick two teams of 12 that could re-inject some adrenaline back into golf,
then I’d be fully supportive of it.
“But, to me, the major championships take priority over the Ryder Cup. It’s
only going to be a viable opportunity if we feel good about the qualifying
process and we feel the teams are legitimate. It’s such a difficult
question.”
GMac’s call comes after Casey, a five-time capped European Team member,
suggesting earlier this week he would prefer the 2020 Ryder Cup being put
back a year in saying:
“I am never a fan of postponing stuff but it’s been postponed before, so why can’t it happen again?”
Fleetwood played a key role in Europe’s 2018 Versailles victory and he
currently heads the ‘European’ points list table.
And Fleetwood is also backing calls to reschedule the Ryder Cup.
“It would be a shame and feel weird to have to wait for so long after the
last Ryder Cup, but you just have to take whatever comes,” said Fleetwood.
“And it would be fairer in qualification terms for it to be pushed back.
Gallacher, who was a member of Paul McGinley’s 2014 Gleneagles victorious
team, also believes moving the event back to 2021 is the best option.
“If this year’s Ryder Cup isn’t postponed, like it was in 2001 because of
the 9/11 attacks, do they just go with a team based on the Ryder Cup points
as they are at the moment, or what?” said Gallacher
“I cannot see why the Ryder Cup Committee don’t just let (Padraig)
Harrington pick all 12 players.
“That’s what Tony Jacklin wanted to do and so did Colin Montgomerie at one
stage.”
European Team qualifying started last September and is due to wind-up on
Sunday 13th September at the close of the Tour’s flagship BMW PGA
Championship at Wentworth.
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