Graeme McDowell sets major goal after record LIV payday

It is fifteen years since a cardigan-clad Graeme McDowell ended the 40-year wait for a European winner of the US Open at Pebble Beach.

Now 45 and competing on the LIV Golf League, McDowell’s most lucrative day on a golf course came at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman banked $1,875,000 for finishing joint runner-up at LIV Virginia, his highest finish since joining the breakaway league at its inception three years ago.

On a throwback leaderboard, McDowell was contending with the likes of Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson during a dramatic, weather-delayed final round.

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But it was the league’s dominant force, Joaquin Niemann, who surged to another title, picking up four birdies in his final five holes to leave McDowell and Anibarn Lahiri one shot shy.

Niemann now has four LIV wins this season and six in his last 21 events, while McDowell’s winless streak dates back to the Saudi International in February 2020.

“I’m very proud of what I’m doing out here,” McDowell said after his bogey-free 66 on Sunday. “Sometimes you need a little something back just to remind you that you’ve still got something left in the tank.”

McDowell continued: “Been so disappointed with my general performance on LIV this to point, this is what I expect of myself still. Really nice to get the juices flowing a little bit. I’m super excited about the week.”

The runner-up pay cheque on LIV eclipses McDowell’s earnings from his famous win at Pebble Beach by over $500,000.

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But what McDowell would do to build on these early signs of a resurgence when he heads to Final Qualifying for The Open next month.

The final major season is taking place in McDowell’s hometown of Portrush and he is absolutely desperate to make another emotional return in July.

His next start will be at LIV Dallas on June 29, before heading straight to Royal Cinque Ports in Kent for the 36-hole qualifier for golf’s oldest major.

“I’m going to use this as momentum to take forward to Dallas and then on to the British Open qualifier,” McDowell added.

“Setting my sights on those two weeks. Dallas is a course that I’ve looked at and I like it.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.