‘Gutted’ G-Mac gives Europe his backing

Graeme McDowell admits he did not deserve to be part of Europe’s Ryder Cup team but will be cheering them on from afar.

The Northern Irishman has not enjoyed the best of years either in Europe or on the PGA Tour and was never a factor to gain automatic qualification to the Hazeltine showpiece.

His only hope was a captain’s pick but compatriot Darren Clarke opted for Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters as his trio.

McDowell is now down at 73 in the world rankings after a season in which he has missed 11 cuts and has just four top-10s to his name.

A fifth-place finish in the Honda Classic and a share of fifth at the recent Wyndham Championship were the 2010 US Open champion’s best efforts of 2016, and he took to Twitter to respond to his failure to make the team.

“Gutted not to be part of Darren Clarke’s Ryder Cup Europe,” he tweeted. “Simply have not put up the numbers. Massive congrats to picks, especially Thomas Pieters.”

The Portrush-born 37-year-old will be a keen viewer when proceedings start on September 30 and says he will use it as motivation to bounce back next season.

“No one will be pulling harder for Team Europe than me and sitting out will give me the drive and motivation I need to play more,” he added on Twitter.

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Tagged Europe, Graeme McDowell, Ryder Cup