Panic over! Graeme McDowell joins Brooks Koepka’s LIV Golf team
Graeme McDowell has signed for another LIV Golf team after his contract expired following the 2023 season…
Doubts surrounding Graeme McDowell’s LIV Golf future are over.
The Telegraph reported McDowell will sign for Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC after becoming a free agent in 2023.
The former US Open champion finished 42nd in the season-long standings which meant he was no longer under contract.
Smash GC posted a team announcement to X on Tuesday, unveiling the McDowell acquisition.
Smash GC had been represented by Koepka, Jason Kokrak and Matthew Wolff. His brother Chase was also in the four-man team but was relegated at the end of the season.
McDowell’s former team, Cleeks GC, is now represented by just Martin Kaymer and Richard Bland following Bernd Wiesberger’s return to the DP World Tour.
LIV teams aren’t obligated to resign players who finished between 25th and 44th in the standings and who are also out of contract.
McDowell’s LIV contract lasted two seasons. The Telegraph say that Cleeks GC captain Kaymer, and McDowell’s former Ryder Cup teammate, wants to look elsewhere for new teammates.
Graeme McDowell: LIV Golf the last resort, or were there other options?
The Northern Irishman’s future in professional golf was unclear following the conclusion of LIV Golf’s second season.
One option could’ve been the Asian Tour where many LIV players have plied their trade throughout 2023, including McDowell.
The 44-year-old could’ve followed Wiesberger back to the DP World Tour, but his situation was a little trickier than the Austrian.
The Telegraph reported that LIV paid $1.5 million in fines to allow Wiesberger to re-apply for his membership, but also that McDowell didn’t have the same privileges in his own LIV contract.
He would’ve been required to pay for his own outstanding sanctions. McDowell is 22nd on the all-time DP World Tour money list and has won 11 times on the circuit.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
