Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has now joined the likes of fellow European Team colleagues Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood and Scot Stephen Gallacher strongly suggesting it may be best to push back the hosting of the 43rd Ryder Cup a year to 2021.
McDowell made his Ryder Cup debut in the 2008 haplessly led Nick Faldo side and is a veteran now of five Ryder Cup’s, and the last being in France as a vice-captain.
And while striving to qualify automatically for Padraig Harrington’s team, it’s certain McDowell will travel to Whistling Straits as a shoe-in vice-captain.
“I just can’t imagine the jigsaw puzzle the European Tour and the PGA Tour will have on their hands,” said McDowell.
Graeme McDowell at the 2018 Ryder Cup.
“It’s a difficult one. When you see the high-level stuff like the Olympic Games postponed, I don’t think you can put the Ryder Cup in that category. When athletes around the world have their training compromised there is no doubt the qualifying is going to be compromised.
“If we could be back to playing golf around June time, you could argue that would give us four solid months for the qualifying process. If you could pick two teams of 12 that could re-inject some adrenaline back into golf, then I’d be fully supportive of it.
“But, to me, the major championships take priority over the Ryder Cup. It’s only going to be a viable opportunity if we feel good about the qualifying process and we feel the teams are legitimate. It’s such a difficult question.”
G Mac’s call comes after Casey, a five-time capped European Team member, suggesting earlier this week he would prefer the 2020 Ryder Cup being put back a year in saying: “I am never a fan of postponing stuff but it’s been postponed before, so why can’t it happen again?”
Fleetwood played a key role in Europe’s 2018 Versailles victory and he currently heads the ‘European’ points list table.
And Fleetwood is also backing calls to move reschedule the Ryder Cup.
“It would be a shame and feel weird to have to wait for so long after the last Ryder Cup, but you just have to take whatever comes,” said Fleetwood.
“And it would be fairer in qualification terms for it to be pushed back.
Gallacher, who was a member of Paul McGinley’s 2014 Gleneagles victorious team, also believes moving the event back to 2021.
“If this year’s Ryder Cup isn’t postponed, like it was in 2001 because of the 9/11 attacks, do they just go with a team based on the Ryder Cup points as they are at the moment, or what?” said Gallacher
“I cannot see why the Ryder Cup Committee don’t just let (Padraig) Harrington just pick all 12 players.
“That’s what Tony Jacklin wanted to do and so did Colin Montgomerie at one stage.”
European Team qualifying started last September and is due to wind-up on Sunday 13th September and the close of the Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Two of the four Majors – the Masters and PGA Championship – have already been postponed and with the Masters, and should it be safe to go ahead, looking likely to be played from 8th to 11th October.
June’s US Open is in disarray after a New York Governor’s state-wide ‘Executive Order’ meant those working in setting up grandstands, corporate enclosures plus spectator facilities have been forced to down tools at the host Winged Foot course on Long Island.
The R & A advised the July 16th to 19th 149th Open will still ‘go ahead as planned’ and this seemingly was the same message after a crisis meeting on Wednesday morning, and in the hours after news the 2020 Summer Olympics were being postponed.
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