09 February 2023 , 15:19
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Graeme McDowell has already accepted his Ryder Cup fate - but still admits he would be "very disappointed" if denied the future chance to captain the European team.
LIV Golf rebel McDowell jeopardised his chances of ever being involved in the biennial joust with the USA again when he signed for Greg Norman's contentious Saudi-Arabian-backed LIV Golf series last year.
The former US Open champion has scored nine points in 15 matches across four Ryder Cups and had the crowning moment when he holed the match-winning putt for the Europeans at Celtic Manor in 2010.
But at 43, McDowell's best form looks well behind him as he prepares for the start of the LIV season alongside former teammates including Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia.
And with LIV's European golfers currently embroiled in a legal dispute that will effectively decide whether they can feature in September's showdown in Rome, it is conceivable that McDowell has had his last Ryder Cup involvement in any capacity.
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The Northern Irishman had suitably been earmarked as a contender for the captaincy for the 2027 battle at Adare Manor in County Limerick before jumping ship for LIV.
But he realised when ditching golf's status quo that he would also be throwing away the dream chance to lead a European team against the United States.
McDowell concedes that he might have given up his chance to captain Europe in the Ryder Cup (via Getty Images)"Every European born player that aspires to be a Ryder Cup player, turns into a Ryder Cup player and has represented Europe in a Ryder Cup will tell you it is one of more memorable experiences in their life," he told TourMiss before the Asian Tour's International Series event in Oman.
"It was one of the factors I considered heavy in making the decision to join LIV that I was walking away from one the chance to be a Ryder Cup vice-captain or captain. And yes, if I am never a part of that ecosystem I would be very disappointed but I will also be very accepting of it, as I have accepted it."
McDowell was one of many who had their reputations tainted when defecting to Norman's LIV enterprise in an unprecedented period of volatility in golf. But he still hopes the two sides of sport's fractious civil war can soon convene and co-exist without animosity or derision.
McDowell was the hero for the European team at Celtic Manor in 2010 (Getty Images)"Hopefully, at some point down the line this will all come back together again," he added. "It may take six months. It may take six years. I am hoping that is going to be something shorter.
"I feel LIV because they've been cast out in the world of golf that they have to plunder on and row their own boat because LIV has so much to offer, and they have such a great team of players and such a compelling product.
"A product that I feel has a lot of differentiation to it that can be really beneficial to the fans and the world of golf in general."