Previously making 4 appearances at the Ryder Cup, Graeme McDowell desperately wants to get back to the event. Twice-vice captain McDowell was a member of three winning European teams, and has more to offer to the sport.
The Irishman seemed all but guaranteed to captain one day, with his spot solidified for the foreseeable future, until the LIV Golf situation arose and altered the course of many professionals, including McDowell.
Ryder Cup
There’s no denying that McDowell had an impact on European wins when he was playing. The 46-year-old contributed 9 points to his team, and even sank the 2010 winning putt at Celtic Manor.
“Jon Rahm asked me earlier this year if I was asked to be a vice-captain at Bethpage Black would I accept it. I replied if they asked me to make coffees for you – I would go and make coffees,” McDowell said in an interview with BBC Sport.
“It goes without saying, as we look towards Adare Manor in two years’ time, I would do anything to be in that European team room, to be part of that team, to put that team Europe shirt on one more time, to have the badge on my chest, to cheer the guys on and help Europe win another Ryder Cup. I hope to be there.”
“I feel like I have something to give back.”
While the dynamic is ever-changing with LIV golf, many professionals futures are uncertain in how things will balance out. Especially as we see less talk between the PGA Tour and Liv Golf regarding an agreement.
Back in 2022, McDowell was one of the first individual’s to make the move over to LIV Golf. While he praises LIV Golf, he also looks forward to a merger, stating “The best players in the world need to play together more often.”
Support for Team Europe
Despite him missing out on the bienniel event, Graeme still intends to support Team Europe as a fan.
“I wish Team Europe all the best at Bethpage Black,” he stated. “I will be pulling for them every shot and wish I was there, but the politics is a lot of levels above what I do, it’s definitely the powers that be that will figure this out for us.”
McDowell, who reportedly expects to “be back again with LIV” next season, added that he considered playing in the upcoming Irish Open, but ultimately decided against it.
“If I thought I wasn’t playing LIV in 2026, the DP World Tour is something I would transition back into to give myself one or two last seasons to see if I still have it or not,” he said.
“I decided I didn’t want to play there this year because I didn’t want to go and make up the numbers, I didn’t want to go there with no other reason but just to play another Irish Open. I like to play with a bigger picture and a bigger goal in mind.”
The 2025 Ryder Cup is scheduled to begin Friday September 26th and continue through Sunday September 28th. Qualifying and captain picked professionals will compete in the Team USA versus Team Europe matchup at Bethpage Black in New York.
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