Field Level Media
25 Sep 2023, 20:49 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
European golfers denied Ryder Cup candidacy in the wake of joining LIV Golf are relegated to fan participation this week when the 2023 event is played at Marco Simone Country Club in Rome.
Henrik Stenson was bumped from his captaincy, Spain's Sergio Garcia owns a magnificent record in Ryder Cupplay, and Team Europe regulars Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell can't play, either.
But McDowell told Golf Digest this week that he'll be up with his just-after-midnight alarm at his Florida home to root for his team and fellow countryman Rory McIlroy to regain the Ryder Cup.
"I love the Ryder Cup," McDowell told Golf Digest. "It is special to me. And it always will be. I'm very much trying to put the small bit of bitterness I feel to the side. It's not bitterness towards anyone. It's bitterness that I am not part of the eco-system. But I'm trying not to let that get in the way of what my true feelings are. I've had some of the greatest experiences of my life with my Ryder Cup teammates. And I enjoyed my two vice-captaincies. But this year it's a little bittersweet for me. I just have to remember how cool it all is."
Garcia is the only LIV player worthy of "making the 12" this year, in McDowell's estimation. McDowell himself hasn't finished a tournament in the top 10.
"Maybe Paul Casey, if he had been fully fit. Myself, Lee (Westwood) and Ian haven't played well enough," he said.
"The schedule we've played hasn't helped either. Henrik is still a really good player. But would any of us been in the 12? I don't think so. Maybe a pick if the world was a different place, but certainly not me. I wouldn't be close. I'd love to have been part of the vice-captain squad and help Luke out. But it is what it is. I'm accepting of where we are in the world right now."
Garcia said multiple times he wanted to find a way on the team and this week admitted he tried directly to work his way on the roster through talks with the DP World Tour. Poulter has been salty about the Ryder Cup scenario and Stenson, a member of three winning Ryder Cup teams, said he's hopeful a middle ground can be found for LIV Golf players rejoining Team Europe as Brooks Koepka was welcomed to Team USA.
"If the are some things to be said and spoken about, I feel like there will be a better time and place out of respect for the team and the Ryder Cup itself. We will let that play out," Stenson told Sports Illustrated this week.
McDowell would also welcome a chance to take swings for Team Europe again. This week, he'll settle for waking in the middle of the night to watch every shot as a fan.
"It's been something I've thought about," McDowell told Golf Digest. "And it's an interesting argument. Do I bury my head in the sand and wait for it all to be over and not say anything? Or do I be supportive? There are no sour grapes on my end. I understand why I'm not involved. I was texting with [European vice-captain] Edoardo Molinari the other day, telling him how much I wish I could be in Rome. I genuinely feel that."
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Dublin News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Dublin News.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
PARIS, France: Fast-fashion giant Shein has been fined 40 million euros by France's antitrust authority over deceptive discount practices...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The High Court has heard that some parents of children with special needs may be forced to give up their jobs to care...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Tánaiste Simon Harris has called on the United States to use every hour to reach a zero-for-zero tariff agreement...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A blind woman from Dublin says she was hurt while getting off a bus because the driver refused to pull in close to...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned that there could be a serious trolley crisis this summer...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...