“And now I'm a bad guy?” - Graeme McDowell acknowledges being ‘prepped’ for tough questions on Saudi Arabia by LIV Golf
The LIV golfers have received brutal trolling for defecting to other series to play for the Saudi league. Recently, Graeme McDowell opened up about the LIV Golf and how he handled the pressure and questions from the people.
The Northern Irish golfer, who now plays on the LIV Golf, said the initial few months on the Saudi circuit were hard to handle the burning questions he heard from the public. However, with time the golfer learned how to deal with everything and is now prepared to answer all the questions.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, Graeme said:
"I feel like my skin's thickened up a lot the last 16 months. I didn't handle it very well the first three or four months. It bothered me that a reputation that I had spent 20 years building had actually just burned overnight. I'm like, is it really that fickle? Yes it is, is the answer. Public opinion will absolutely turn on you in a second. Why do I care about that so much if it's that fickle?
"I know I've been a good pro all my career. I make a decision to go to a start-up golf tour and now I'm a bad guy? I know that I behave like a pro and I act like a pro. I always have. What sometime tells me on Twitter that they think of me, I've got to choose how I’m going to react to that," he added.
It is important to note that after almost a year of struggling in a legal battle, the PGA Tour joined hands with LIV Golf in a shocking merger in June 2023. However, the deal has been investigated by the US government.
A look into Graeme McDowell's career
McDowell was born on 30 July 1979 in Portrush Country Antrim, Northern Ireland. He started playing golf at a very young age and played with Rathmore Golf Club since the age of eight.
His uncle coached him during the early days of his career and at the age of 14, he played for the Senior Cup for Rathmore.
Graeme McDowell studied engineering at Queen's University in Belfast before transferring to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has won six college events and received the Haskins Award.
He started his professional career in 2002 won the Volvo Scandinavian Masters and later became an honorary member of the Royal Portrush Golf Club.
Graeme McDowell won the Celtic Manor Wales Open in 2010 by three strokes. He was a member of the 2010 Ryder Cup-winning team at Celtic Manor.
McDowell has won 16 professional events including four on the PGA Tour, 11 European Tour events and one on the Asian Tour. He reached fourth in the Official World Golf Rankings. He also won the US Open in 2010.