19th Hole
LIV Golf Pro: I can’t go on social media without someone telling me to go die

Over the last couple of weeks, things have taken a far nastier turn in relations between the PGA and DP World tours and the LIV Golf Series.
There was always going to be a fightback from the long-established organisations, perhaps wounded by the ease at which the Saudi-backed company has tempted away players such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, and the expected fines and sanctions have led to counterclaims and remarkable turnarounds in the fortunes of some players.
Headlines have been easy to write, many caused by the various LIV press conferences, at which players have denied any knowledge of the Saudi reputation on human rights, claiming they have usurped the traditional tours for a less hectic schedule, less formal atmosphere, and to be permitted to spend more time with their families.
Of course, social media being what it is, there have been several less savoury incidents and comments, and some very personal jibes and verbal attacks.
One of the most staunch of LIV players, Graeme McDowell, revealed just how bad the personal attacks on social media have been.
“I never really have made my peace with how vitriolic the attacks would be regarding my reputation, on social media the things that I’d said being absolutely torn to shreds,” he told BBC NI. “And it’s really hard because I’m being asked questions that there are no right answers to.”
“I’m having my moral integrity attacked all the time when, at the end of the day, all I’m trying to do is play golf. I’m trying to make a business decision for me and my family. And, you know, I’ve paid my dues in this game over the last 20 years, I’ve tried to carry myself the right way.”
The 2010 US Open winner continued, “I don’t wake up and feel proud of myself every day. You know, I can’t turn on my Instagram or Twitter without someone telling me to go die. It’s been a really tough couple of months. But again, I expected it. I knew what the consequences were going to be. I just didn’t realise kind of just how heavily this was going to be hammered, trying to answer questions which are unanswerable.”
“That’s probably the only mistake I made in London at the first event when I was in my press conference – I just wish I’d said nothing. I just wish I just sat there and just kind of shook my head and said no comment. But it’s not who I am. I always try and be truthful and try to answer questions. I shouldn’t have bothered.”
Part of the problem seems to be that he is saying things, and someone has again picked him up for his answers to the most obvious of questions.
NCG writer Hannah Holden tweeted a section of an interview that the Northern Irishman had with the Irish Independent:
This McDowell interview is fascinating
No wonder he is upset about the backlash of going to LIV when he doesn’t know enough about the Saudi regime to comment on it? ?????
Possibly something you research before taking their money? pic.twitter.com/xGwr4sMLuc
— Hannah Holden (@HannahHoldenNCG) July 5, 2022
As McDowell said in the latest report, perhaps he (and many others) should not be piping up with their thoughts.
Like his fellow Ryder Cup star, Sergio Garcia, his reputation seems to be on a downward spiral the more he speaks, summed up by @LostForePod podcast host and Mayo affiliate, Tom Jacobs, in his reply:
“He’s THE worst person they have speaking out for them, and given the candidates that keep getting the air time, that’s a tough heat to lead.”
More from the 19th Hole
19th Hole
‘Don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight’ – LPGA pro offers candid take following rough AIG Women’s Open finish

An opening round of 77 left LPGA pro Jenny Shin with a mountain to climb at last week’s AIG Women’s Open.
However, fighting back with rounds of 69 and 67, Shin found herself six shots off the lead and just outside the top 10 heading into Sunday as she went in search of her first major victory.
Shin, who won the US Girls’ Junior at just 13, couldn’t back those rounds up on Sunday, though, and after playing her opening nine holes of the final round in level par, she then bogeyed three holes coming home to slip down the leaderboard and eventually finish T23.
Taking to X following the final round, Shin offered a frustrated and honest take on how she was feeling, posting: “Don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight. What a crappy way to finish.”
Don’t think I’ll sleep well tonight. What a crappy way to finish
— Jenny Shin (@JennyShin_LPGA) August 3, 2025
Shin has made 11 cuts in 13 starts on the LPGA Tour this season, but has been plagued by frustrating Sunday finishes throughout the year. Shin ranks 102nd on tour this year out of 155 for Round 4 scoring in 2025.
Miyu Yamashita won the 2025 AIG Women’s Open with a composed final round of 70 to win her first major of her career by two strokes.
19th Hole
How a late golf ball change helped Cameron Young win for first time on PGA Tour

Cameron Young won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday for his first victory on the PGA Tour.
Young dominated all weekend at TPC Sedgefield, running away from the pack to win by six strokes and put himself in contention for a Ryder Cup pick in September.
Ahead of the event, the 28-year-old switched to a Pro V1x prototype golf ball for the first time, following recent testing sessions with the Titleist Golf Ball R&D team.
Interestingly, Young played a practice round accompanied by Fordie Pitts, Titleist’s Director of Tour Research & Validation, at TPC Schedule early last week with both his usual Pro V1 Left Dot ball and the new Pro V1x prototype.
Per Titleist, by the second hole Young was exclusively hitting shots with the Pro V1x prototype.
“We weren’t sure if he was going to test it this week, but as he was warming up, he asked to hit a couple on the range,” Pitts said. “He was then curious to see some shots out on the course. Performance-wise, he was hitting tight draws everywhere. His misses were staying more in play. He hit some, what he would call ‘11 o’clock shots,’ where again he’s taking a little something off it. He had great control there.”
According to Titleist, the main validation came on Tuesday on the seventh hole of his practice round. The par 3 that played between 184 and 225 yards during the tournament called for a 5-iron from Young, or so he thought. Believing there was “no way” he could get a 6-iron to the flag with his Left Dot, Young struck a 5-iron with the Pro V1x prototype and was stunned to see the ball land right by the hole.
“He then hits this 6-iron [with the Pro V1x prototype] absolutely dead at the flag, and it lands right next to the pin, ending up just past it,” Pitts said. “And his response was, ‘remarkable.’ He couldn’t believe that he got that club there.”
Following nine holes on Tuesday and a further nine on Wednesday, Young asked the Titleist team to put the ProV1x balls in his locker. The rest, as they say, is history.
19th Hole
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’

Rickie Fowler fired an opening round of one-under par on Thursday at the Wyndham Championship, as the Californian looks to make a FedEx Cup playoff push.
Fowler is currently 61st in the standings, so will need a strong couple of weeks to extend his season until the BMW Championship, where only the top 50 in the standings will tee it up.
Heading into the final stretch of the season, Fowler has made an equipment switch of note, changing into new iron shafts, as well as making a switch to his driver shaft.
The 36-year-old revealed this week that he has switched from his usual KBS Tour C-Taper 125-gram steel shafts to the graphite Aerotech SteelFiber 125cw shafts in his Cobra King Tour irons, a change he first put into play at last month’s Travelers Championship.
Speaking on the change to reporters this week, Fowler made note that the graphite shafts offer “something that’s a little easier on the body.”
“I mean, went to the week of Travelers, so been in for, I guess that’s a little over a month now. Something that’s a little easier on the body and seemed to get very similar numbers to where I was at. Yeah, it’s gone well so far.”
Fowler has also made a driver shaft change, switching out his Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX for a UST Mamiya Lin-Q Proto V1 6 TX driver shaft in his Cobra DS-Adapt X, which he first implemented a couple of weeks ago at the John Deere Classic.
However, according to Fowler himself, the testing and potential changes are not done yet.
“Probably do some more testing in some different weight configurations with them once I get some time. Yeah, I feel like we’re always trying to search, one, to get better but are there ways to make things easier, whether that’s physically, mentally, whatever it may be. So yeah, I thought they were good enough to obviously put into play and looking forward to doing some more testing.”
Fowler gets his second round at TPC Sedgefield underway at 7.23 a.m ET on Friday.