'This is good for my bank account' - Golf star admits one major regret over LIV involvement

LIV Golf star Graeme McDowell has revealed his one major regret over his involvement in the Saudi-backed tour - after admitting he only joined because it was 'good for my bank account'.

McDowell was among the first group of players to resign their PGA Tour membership and join LIV in 2022.

He played in the inaugural LIV event in London in 2022, along with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

McDowell won the US Open in 2010 and was part of Team Europe at the Ryder Cup on four occasions, with his last appearance coming in 2014 before he transitioned into a vice-captain role.

He filled that role at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, which was held months before his defection to LIV.

The Northern Irishman has had an eventful career as part of LIV Golf.

He finished in 42nd place in 2023 and was not offered a new contract with his team, but found a new team ahead of the 2024 season.

In August of that year, he was fined $120,000 and given a one-event ban after he was found to have used 'a decongestant medicine that included a banned substance'.

McDowell accepted the sanction and stated that he didn't realise the decongestant could be on the banned list.

Earlier this year, in March, he became the first player in the history of LIV Golf to hit two hole-in-ones - two weeks in a row - with his second at LIV Singapore.

Now, he is one of many players in limbo beyond this year after the announcement that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will cut their funding at the end of 2026.

LIV have formed a new board and are attempting to secure outside funding, but the long-term future of the rebel golf tour is clearly still in severe doubt.

Read more: LIV Golf release statement to confirm future plans as huge financial losses revealed

Some players are already looking at their own futures, with Jon Rahm agreeing a deal to return to the DP World Tour - the PGA's European equivalent - which will see him pay outstanding fines worth a staggering £2.2 million.

McDowell names LIV regret

McDowell's situation is slightly different, as the Northern Irishman has claimed that he was 'getting a real job' away from the PGA Tour before LIV came calling in 2022.

Speaking ahead of LIV Golf Virginia this week, the 46-year-old's comments to reporters appear to indicate that he hopes to stay where he is - even if he does have regrets.

"I love playing, I love competing," he said (via Sports Illustrated).

"I regret a few things I said in the beginning, stuff like growing the game. I should have just said it for what it was: this is good for my bank account, and I'm getting a runway to play the game of golf for as long as I possibly can.

"I don't think we could have ever imagined how deep this would go, the hatred. It's funny, but if we can shift the narrative away from Saudi Arabia and bring some US money, and get rid of that narrative... because that narrative is just nasty.

"Maybe we can get rid of that and focus on LIV as a viable golfing product."

"I think we all knew that we were going to have to stand on our own two feet at some point to be able to make this into a legitimate business," McDowell added.

"When you've kind of got the type of cash that we had in the beginning, for a startup company, it was a little crazy and maybe not very real.

"It's kind of like we're turning 18 now. I'm going to go into the real world. We've got to fend for ourselves a little bit. We try to make this into legit business."