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Graeme McDowell is in agreement with numerous fellow pros that the Ryder Cup should not go ahead if there are no fans present.

Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka have already revealed their reservations about the 43rd Ryder Cup being played behind closed doors at Whistling Straits in September, and their views were reiterated by veteran McDowell during Sky Sports’ 2010 Ryder Cup Watchalong on Sunday.

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“Does the Ryder Cup work without this atmosphere, this excitement, this experience? My answer is no, because this is what the Ryder Cup is all about,” said McDowell, reflecting on Europe’s victory at Celtic Manor on Sky Sports.

“Standing on that first tee, whether it’s in Europe or America, and you’ve got that partisan feeling among the fans supporting their guys, you’ve got the noise and the passion. It’s the fans that bring the ‘X Factor’ to the Ryder Cup.

McDowell, who featured across four separate Ryder Cups, winning on three occasions, believes that the lack of atmosphere would have a negative impact on the players.

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“That’s what makes the Ryder Cup so different, it’s what makes the intensity level for the players so different, and I can’t really imagine what it would feel like to make a 30-foot putt in a pivotal match in the Ryder Cup and then have silence.

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“It would just be very strange, so I hope whatever decision gets made about this year’s Ryder Cup is for the good of the tournament, and for the good of what the Ryder Cup has become.

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