ORLANDO – The race for the 2023 European Ryder Cup captain has one less viable candidate as Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell all but pulled his name from consideration.
McDowell, who is playing in a threesome with U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson in the first two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, had the following to say after his opening-round 68: “I’m obviously playing with Zach this week, walking around thinking maybe should I throw my hat in and go with him? I just don’t think I’m quite ready. Part of me would love to because part of me thinks, if I don’t take this one, I might not get it, which would be disappointing.
“But I kind of have to put my own individual career first, I feel like. I desperately want to get back playing consistently well at a high level again rather than maybe taking my attention away and taking the Ryder Cup captaincy.”
