McDowell: "I was disappointed not to be there"
SINGAPORE: L-R – James Leow of Singapore, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, Andy Ogletree of the USA and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa pictured during a press conference on Wednesday October 4, 2023, ahead of the International Series Singapore at the Tanah Merah Country Club (Tampines Course). The US$2 million Asian Tour event is staged from October 5-8, 2023. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thirteen years after heading to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as a Ryder Cup-winning hero, Graeme McDowell tees it up on the Asian Tour in Singapore admitting “it was great to cheer the boys on from afar.”
The Portrush native has hitched his future to LIV Golf but after struggling to make an impact on the 48-man breakaway circuit this year, he’s playing extra events on the Asian Tour’s International Series to try and regain some sharpness.
“Yeah, I watched a lot of it,” McDowell said at Tanah Merah Country Club, which hosts the International Series Singapore event, when asked if he’d seen much of Europe’s Ryder Cup win in Rome.
“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 it was great to cheer the boys on from afar.”
McDowell (44) is seeking his first win since he captured the 2020 Saudi International but as Ryder Cup heroes Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre are reunited at the Home of Golf, golf’s powerbrokers continue to make moves.
The R&A’s chief executive Martin Slumbers will play in the same group as the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Yasir Al Rumayyan, who helped broker the “framework agreement” that’s currently being hammered out by PIF, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
“Sport is supposed to unite people, not divide,” Johann Rupert, chairman of Dunhill’s parent company Richemont, told The Scotsman. “We need to get peace.”
According to The Scotsman, Al Rumayyan was initially listed on the draw as Andrew Waterman before that was updated with his own name around 2.41 p.m. on Wednesday.
Played over the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, the event offers Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood and MacIntyre the chance to come back down to earth.
But it’s a huge week for Kilkenny’s Mark Power, the new touring pro for Mount Juliet, as he seeks the top-three finish he likely needs to secure his DP World Tour card.
He partners former jockey AP McCoy as Padraig Harrington is joined by JP McManus, John Murphy partners Oliver Baker (godfather to Prince George) and Tom McKibbin plays with UAE businessman Mohammed Farooq.
As for McDowell, he’s ranked 41st in LIV Golf’s 48-man standings and he admits he needs to play more.
"As a LIV player I am happy where I am, I think it is a great product, but 14 events is not enough for me so I need more playing opportunities, and I think The International Series serves a lot of purposes," he said.
“It has been difficult getting any momentum for me on the LIV Golf League. I feel like it is a very competitive Tour, you just can't afford to have a slow nine holes. I feel like I have struggled to build on my momentum and confidence.
"I am actually playing six in the next seven weeks: here, Jeddah, Miami, China, Hong Kong and Indonesia. I am actually excited to see if I can get a little bit of a head of steam up and to see if I can win some tournaments.”
As Dermot McElroy and Jonny Caldwell look to play well in the Hopps Open de Provence and join Conor Purcell in the top 60 qualifiers for next month’s Challenge Tour’s Grand Final, Leona Maguire plays The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America at Old American Golf Club in Texas.
