Northern Ireland golfer Graeme McDowell said that he withdrew from the PGA Championship at Wentworth because of the hurricane in the Bahamas.
McDowell claimed that pulling out from the PGA Championship "was tough to do but it has been an emotional few weeks" after the area was devastated by the hurricane. He added "Friends and people that we care about just lost everything. It put things in perspective for me from a golf point of view."
Hurricane Dorian and Tropical Storm Humberto devastated the Bahamas when they hit the islands in early September.
McDowell said "Trying to help people took a lot of focus off what I was doing. I didn't get to practice and prepare as much as I would have wanted, from working on our place and trying to help people down there. People that we care about, people who are really good friends, their homes just got flattened."
He announced his withdrawal from the tournament via Twitter, citing "a personal issue" a week prior to its start in England.
He also mentioned "We've been trying to help with some fundraising efforts and we've been trying to rebuild. Mother Nature puts life in perspective with how cruel it can be. It has been really scary and my mind just hasn't been on golf. Consequently, I just didn't feel that I was ready to play at Wentworth. It's been a very difficult few weeks and I'm looking forward to getting back on the golf course, refocusing and taking the next steps."
Despite being unable to play in the PGA Championship, the 2010 US Open champion is looking to play in the Ryder Cup in 2020 and believes he is still good enough to win it. He claimed "If I play the way I know I can play then I can be on the team."
