BEDMINSTER, N.J. — You know those signs in warehouses that say, It’s been (X-number) of days since last accident/mistake? Graeme McDowell needs one of those for his Twitter outbursts.
It’s been nine days since the 43-year-old clapped back at someone throwing shade his way on the social media platform — where he said he’d give a heckler 10 shots a side on their home course — which may be a record given his recent history on the platform the last few months since joining the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The Northern Irishman just can’t help himself sometimes.
“Yeah, it still bothers me because I’m not disciplined enough to stay off my social media,” McDowell said of the backlash he and his colleagues have faced for joining the Greg Norman-led and Saudi Arabia-funded series. “Haters are gonna hate. Keyboard warriors are always going to be there and that is what it is. I’m not used to it. And like I said, I haven’t done a good job staying away from it.”
McDowell praised his wife, Kristin, for being his rock over the last few months. She reads every article written about LIV and her husband, but she doesn’t always pass that info along, which he says is for the best.
“I care more about what (the media) think than I care about what the Twitter world thinks, because I know they’re a bunch of idiots,” McDowell explained. “But I know the people writing up on me are a bunch of smart people at times, so that stuff hurts more. But again, it’s only opinion sometimes. It’s not facts. It’s just opinion.”
“It’s been hard. It’s been a hard couple months, but I really believed in London I was in the right place,” McDowell said despite the shellacking he and others have taken for joining the controversial series backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. “That opinion has only strengthened now the last six weeks.”
The 2010 U.S. Open champion said his confidence in LIV grew at the first event in London because of the staging and the way LIV took care of the players. That confidence is only growing the more players that join the series.
“We’re kind of brothers in arms, if you like, because of the negativity that’s come out against us all,” said McDowell. “Everyone’s experienced that in their own way and it brings us all closer together.”
“But I’m getting better. I’m coming through,” he said of his newfound outlook on the situation. “I’m very happy where I am. I think this tour is only going to go from strength to strength.”
But we can still expect him to put some haters in their place from time to time, right?
“No, I’m done.”
