Brooks Koepka’s Last-Minute Lifeline Saves LIV Golf Crisis, Graeme McDowell Rescued

Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell has been brought back from the brink of a LIV Golf exile by Brooks Koepka. It seemed the Northern Irishman had lost all hope of securing a roster spot for 2024.

McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, finished 40th in LIV’s second season, reaching the end of his contract with the Saudi Arabia-backed tour. Only out-of-contract players who finished in the top 24 in the standings were guaranteed a place on the 2024 roster.

When McDowell was let go from his team, Cleeks Golf Club, by captain Martin Kaymer earlier this month, it appeared he was out of options and his brief stay with LIV was over.

That would have left McDowell with precious few options, with settling a seven-figure fine to return to the DP World Tour – as former LIV member Bernd Wiesberger did last week – perhaps his only way of playing on a big stage in 2024.

According to The Telegraph, McDowell has been thrown a lifeline by five-time major champion Koepka, the captain of Smash Golf Club. The 44-year-old, who banked $2.5million in prize money in 2023, is set to be announced as Smash’s new signing imminently.

McDowell is set to replace Koepka’s brother, Chase, who finished in the bottom four of LIV’s standings and being relegated from the circuit. His only chance of playing on the tour in 2024 is a top-three finish at next month’s LIV Golf Promotions qualifying tournament.

McDowell will join Jason Kokrak and Matthew Wolff on the Smash team, who finished eighth in the standings at the end of the season. With Koepka on his side, McDowell appears to have landed in a better position to enjoy a stronger season in 2024.