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Ever since its launch in 2022, LIV Golf has been at odds with the rest of the golf world. It struggles to get basic things like OWGR points, it has an ongoing rivalry with the PGA despite the constant talks about a merger earlier this year, and there is a constant string of pros, both current and former, who are always ready to take a few whacks at the league. Recently, Graeme McDowell, one of LIV’s star players, has suggested that it is not the heads of the organizations who created the divide but rather another group. One that sees far more cameras. The Ryder Cup Captainship The situation of the divide in the sport came about in an interview with Bunkered on Graeme McDowell’s Ryder Cup ambitions. He wants to be the European Ryder Cup team captain, and with talks about Luke Donald not being sure if he wants to do it again, McDowell started expressing an interest in the position. He said that being the captain would be the greatest moment in his life. The only issue is that there are a few roadblocks. Those roadblocks involve the divide that formed when LIV Golf launched. Graeme McDowell On The Divide There’s no doubt that the divide between the leagues has affected LIV players the most. They see the most consequences. The PGA one-year ban has been the biggest roadblock for any player who wants to cross over. This has caused some tension with the LIV players. Yet, for McDowell he doesn’t see it as the reason for the divide in the sport. He revealed in an interview with Bunkered that he believes that the best players are the source of the divisiveness. “People will say I don’t deserve it, and I’m responsible for a lot of what’s happened. But I’m a very, very small cog in this big wheel,” McDowell said. “The divisiveness has come from the best players in the world. It hasn’t come from the 40-somethings like myself that are just trying to eke out a living and staying competitive on an opportunity that was presented to us, which would have been crazy to say no to from a business point of view.” McDowell On Healing The Divide McDowell’s idea on healing the divide is pretty simple. Just let the players on the field together. He believes that opening the door to more LIV Golfers could turn down the heat between the leagues, or at the very least between the players. McDowell does suggest that he should be the first step in that. By being the “olive branch that puts some of this back together.” However, McDowell is well aware that this dream is a long shot. He’s not sure if it’s even possible for him to get into the Ryder Cup as things stand now. As a result, he doesn’t want to commit himself at the moment. McDowell does plan on making a few calls to test the temperature to see if it is possible, but for now, it is just an idea he has.
