Not many of our readers would remember the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. Europe and the USA were tied at 13.5 points each, with only one match remaining on the course – Graeme McDowell vs Hunter Mahan. On the par-3 16th, McDowell drained a clutch, a historical 15-foot birdie putt, to go 2 up with two holes left, sending the crowd into frenzy. Mahan, who couldn’t take the pressure, missed the 17th green and conceded. With that, McDowell sealed the point that handed Europe its victory and etched his name into Ryder Cup folklore. But today, he is nowhere near the biennial event.

A lot of golfers have paid a price since joining LIV. The breakaway league may have brought them staggering sums of money, but it also stripped away things they once held closest to their careers. For McDowell and other LIV players, it’s the Ryder Cup. Ian Poulter, who sees no future for himself in the Ryder Cup once said, ” If you cut me in half, it bleeds Ryder Cup.” It is similar for McDowell. Once tipped as a future European captain, the Northern Irishman now searches for any way to sneak back into the fold. “Jon Rahm asked me earlier this year if I was asked to be a vice-captain at Bethpage Black would I accept it. I replied if they asked me to make coffees for you – I would go and make coffees,” McDowell revealed.

The Ryder Cup is stitched deeply into McDowell’s identity. He played in four straight editions from 2008 to 2014, winning three of them. In 2018 and 2021, he even took on the role of the vice captain. Besides the Ryder Cup, he had a good career on the PGA Tour as well, which could be fathomed from his win at the 2010 US Open. But then came LIV Golf.

In 2022, McDowell jumped to the Saudi-backed league, a move that severed ties with the PGA and European Tour.  After signing the contracts, he played in all 14 events in 2023, with a best finish of 12th place, and ranked 42nd overall. But his LIV journey was not without hurdles either. Last year, McDowell was suspended and fined for an anti-doping violation. This season, he secured his best individual LIV finish at Virginia (T2). But despite all that, he craves to be on the European team. Since he is not a member of the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), he can’t be a part of the Ryder Cup team.

Back in 2023, he talked about his love for the Ryder Cup and how it will always be special for him. Although he was aware that the dynamics had now changed.  “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.” Cut to the present day, he is still hopeful.

“It goes without saying as we look towards Adare Manor in two years’ time I would do anything to be in that European team room, to be part of that team, to put that team Europe shirt on one more time, to have the badge on my chest, to cheer the guys on and help Europe win another Ryder Cup. I hope to be there.”

With preparations for this year’s Ryder Cup already underway, McDowell is thinking of the future. The next edition of the event is set to take place at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland, McDowell’s home region. This will be the second time the Republic of Ireland will host the tournament. McDowell is familiar with the course, having played there in 2008 for the Irish Open. But if he wants to play in the Ryder Cup two years from now, he should hope for a PGA-LIV agreement to roll out. Moreover, he can also rejoin the DPWT to stay on the path of the Ryder Cup, something that Sergio Garcia has done.

Another LIV player’s Ryder Cup dream

Sergio Garcia has never been far from Ryder Cup conversation. Even now, at 45 and deep into his LIV Golf chapter, he isn’t ready to let go of it. The Spaniard is chasing a record 11th appearance in the biennial matches, despite sitting all the way down at 140 on the European points list. But, even if he can’t qualify through numbers, he knows of other ways to do so.

“I had a good conversation with [Captain Luke Donald] last week, and we both know what we want,” Garcia said during LIV Andalucía. But unfortunately, his chances of making the team are very slim.

When he left for LIV in 2022, he was suspended and fined by the DP World Tour, which is a necessary membership to qualify for Europe’s team. However, unlike many who walked away, Garcia reapplied for membership last year and cleared all outstanding fees. But it is not enough. His performance in 2025 has been underwhelming. He missed the cut at Augusta, finished T67 at the PGA Championship, was not able to qualify for the US Open, and finished T34 at the Open Championship. Although he finished the LIV season in the top 10 of the individual standings (9th place), it will not matter as those points don’t add to the Ryder Cup list.