It seems like Graeme McDowell will continue to “eke out a living” at LIV Golf for another year. The 46-year-old has been in the headlines recently for a lot of things. After Luke Donald revealed being uncertain about returning, he expressed his desire to captain Team Europe in the 2027 Ryder Cup. While his Adare Manor is still uncertain, he has still managed to achieve what would have been one of his goals for 2025. That would be to extend his stay at LIV Golf, as Brooks Koepka has re-signed him for 2026.

As Ben Parsons from Bunkered reported, “McDowell has signed a one-year contract extension with LIV. Will be on Brooks Koepka’s team again next year.” The Smash GC captain has retained the services of the Northern Irishman for another year. McDowell, who initially started his journey in LIV Golf with Cleeks GC, only moved to Koepka’s team in 2024.

Speaking about his performance this season, McDowell told Parsons, “Obviously, I felt like I played okay this season and certainly held my own. Certainly lots of room for improvement, more consistency. But, you know, I’m 46, I’ll be 47 next year. I still feel competitive. When I’m not competitive anymore, you know, I’ll walk away and give somebody else that spot. At the minute, I still feel like I’m good enough to be out there and good enough to be out on any tour.”

McDowell didn’t have a particularly outstanding year. He finished 34th in the individual standings, 3 spots behind the Smash GC captain. However, he did come close to winning a title as he finished as a runner-up behind Joaquin Niemann in LIV Golf Virginia. Interestingly, that was his best finish in the league since he joined it in 2022. So it certainly seems like he’s still very competitive and thriving. And as long as he’s doing that, he shouldn’t be in any hurry to lose his spot in the team.

But what is the purpose behind re-signing Graeme McDowell only for one more year? Is Brooks Koepka planning to replace him in 2027, or does he have something else in mind?

Is Brooks Koepka going to replace Graeme McDowell in 2027?

Re-signing Graeme McDowell after he has produced the best result since joining LIV Golf was the right idea. But why did Brooks Koepka only commit to having him around for just another year? Could it be because McDowell himself is unsure of how his game will be after next season? He did mention that he might not remain competitive in the coming years. But considering his form, Koepka must have some confidence in his abilities to pull off good results for at least a couple of more years.

However, the dilemma of the situation in the Smash GC camp is that Brooks Koepka himself won’t have a LIV Golf contract after 2026. He had signed a 4-year deal in 2022. That contract will be due after the end of next season. And considering his dipping form in the majors since joining LIV Golf, there are chances that Koepka might choose to keep all his options open. And he can’t commit to a future in LIV Golf himself, then it would be unfair for him to make Graeme McDowell do the same.