Graeme McDowell "desperate" for Ryder Cup 2027 role as Jon Rahm faces uncertain future

Graeme McDowell has revealed he "desperately" wants to be involved in Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 2027, describing his past appearances as the "greatest moments" of his life.

The 2010 US Open champion, who reached No.4 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), claims his three Ryder Cup wins wearing the blue and gold trump all his individual achievements. 

With the 2027 edition set to take place at Adare Manor in Ireland, the Northern Irishman hopes to return in some capacity.

The 46-year-old last played in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014, and while his chances of making the team next year as a player look slim — due to a dip in form and not holding DP World Tour membership — he is eager to contribute in a supporting role.

In one recent interview, McDowell said he would simply make the coffee just to be there. 

But McDowell’s LIV Golf membership presents a significant challenge for him to be part of Team Europe. 

Europe set a clear precedent when Henrik Stenson was stripped of the 2023 captaincy after joining the breakaway league. 

Other European legends without DP World Tour membership, including Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, have also been ruled out of any current involvement in the Ryder Cup team. 

Despite this, McDowell, who currently ranks 1,507th in the OWGR, remains hopeful the rules will change to allow him to be part of the setup. 

"The greatest moments of my life have been in Ryder Cup team rooms. I certainly miss it," McDowell told Mirror Sports US. 

"The team doesn't look like they're missing us too much. They're playing quite well without us. 

"The Ryder Cup is in Ireland in 2027. I'd desperately like to be there in some shape or form. We'll see. 

"Obviously, I'm very proud of what the European Ryder Cup team has done in the last couple of sessions, but I certainly do miss being part of it."

The European captaincy team for 2027 has not been finalised, though Luke Donald is in talks to return for a third stint after victories in Rome and New York. 

Should Donald keep hold of the captain's armband, then he will have a shot of becoming the first captain in the 100-year history of the Ryder Cup to win three cups on the bounce.

Donald joined his English compatriot Tony Jacklin as the only other captain to win two Ryder Cups in a row when leading Europe to a memorable 15-13 victory against Keegan Bradley's USA at Bethpage in September. 

While Donald's contemplation of the 2027 captaincy remains a big talking point right now, a larger one involves politics for the players. 

The strained relationship between LIV Golf and the DP World Tour remains a dark cloud at least when it comes to the Ryder Cup, especially with European superstars such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton facing fines for participating in LIV events. 

Then there's also question marks surrounding the status of rising LIV Golf stars David Puig and Tom McKibbin, who will both fancy their chances of debut Ryder Cup appearances in 2027. 

McDowell, who resigned his own DP World Tour membership to avoid fines, addressed the current elephant in the room. 

"Obviously, I'm disappointed to be where we're at right now with the relationships, obviously, with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour," said the Smash GC player. 

"I think Jon and Tyrrell, Tom McKibbin, David Puig, guys that potentially should be on the Ryder Cup team in '27, they're in a very unusual predicament. 

"They're playing out here on LIV and being fined by the European Tour, a tour that potentially wants them to come and put that badge on in '27 at Adare Manor."

As for McDowell's own personal perspective, he says he is focused on LIV Golf for now but has ambitions to return to Europe in the future. 

"I miss being able to play a bit more in Europe, but I'm committed to the season out here," said the 11-time European Tour winner. 

"I don't take my membership, A, because I don't want to be fined, and B, because I don't feel like I do my membership justice and play enough times to take a spot away from somebody.

"I'm happy doing what I'm doing right now, but come the day in the future, do I want to go back and play in Europe a little bit? Of course I do. It's where I cut my teeth. It's where I learned this game. I owe a lot to the European Tour, and I look forward to going over there and playing some golf in the future. Right now, I'm very happy doing what I'm doing."

Despite the obstacles, McDowell’s desire to be part of the Ryder Cup brotherhood remains undiminished, particularly on home soil in Ireland.

Whether he's allowed to even rock up to make the tea and coffee for Team Europe in Ireland remains to be seen.