‘I’ve been so disappointed’: Major champ’s honest assessment to time on LIV Golf
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It’s been a rocky couple of years for Graeme McDowell. But now the Northern Irishman has Royal Portrush in his sights after his best finish to-date on LIV Golf…
Graeme McDowell is hoping his strong showing at LIV Golf Virginia will act as something of a turning point after admitting he has been “so disappointed” with his form since he left the traditional tours for the breakaway league.
The Northern Irishman has been a feature at LIV since its inception three years ago but has struggled to produce anything like his best golf after hoping the move would revive his career.
Now 45 and playing for Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC team, McDowell’s T2 finish on Sunday at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club was his best to date on LIV.
It was also his biggest payday. McDowell was well compensated for his efforts, leaving Virginia almost $2 million richer.
Only the league’s standout star Joaquin Niemann beat McDowell, giving the former US Open champion cause for optimism.
“I’m happy with the fight,” McDowell said. “It was tough to keep the momentum going with the breaks. I just asked Joaco’s caddie what they did in the second break because whatever they did was good.
“It’s hard to play loose when you need it, when you haven’t been there for a while. But I was really happy the way I composed myself generally today. Drove the ball great. I felt pretty comfortable out there.
“Hopefully a big summer ahead. [I’ve] been so disappointed with my general performance on LIV to this point, this is what I expect of myself still. Really nice to get the juices flowing a little bit.”
He added: “I’m very proud of what I’m doing out here and the way I’ve committed myself to continuing to work, continuing to grind, and sometimes you need a little something back just to remind you that you’ve still got something left in the tank.”
McDowell’s attention will now turn to LIV’s event in Dallas at the end of June before he attempts to qualify for The Open at Royal Portrush.
He will be hoping to carry his new-found form forward and come through the 36-hole final qualifying event at Royal Cinque Ports to earn a spot in the game’s oldest major in his hometown, where he finished in a tie for 57th in 2019.
“I’m going to use this as momentum to take forward to [LIV Golf] Dallas and then on to the British Open qualifier,” added McDowell.
“Setting my sights on those two weeks. Dallas is a course that I’ve looked at and I like it.”
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Graeme McDowell is looking to get back into The Open at Royal Portrush through qualifying.
