Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer, two players who famously know all about coping with pressure from their decisive contributions in Ryder Cups, will test their skills under the spotlight as part of the first ISPS HANDA Pressure Putt Showdown at this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
McDowell sank a critical 15ft putt under intense pressure on the 16th of his singles match at the Celtic Manor Resort in 2010 en route to helping Colin Montgomerie’s team reclaim The Ryder Cup, while Kaymer showed similar nerves of steel to hole from six feet to secure a vital point against Steve Stricker two years later, ensuring Europe retained the trophy in the Miracle of Medinah.
Both players will be hoping they can once again overcome pressure when they compete in an innovative new, made-for-TV challenge which take place for the first time at the BMW PGA Championship, at 3pm (BST) on Wednesday May 25.
The showdown pits eight European Tour stars alongside eight celebrity partners in a knock-out competition on the putting green at Wentworth Club. Music and fan interaction will add to the atmosphere as each team attempts to hole putts from increasing distances – starting at three feet – with the winning team claiming the £10,000 charity prize.
Former US Open Champion McDowell will be partnered by legendary jockey AP McCoy, while two-time Major Champion Kaymer will be joined by Ladies European Tour player Henni Zuel, a regular golf pundit on Sky Sports.
Another Ryder Cup star, Denmark’s Thomas Bjørn, will be joined by Robbie Fowler, who will be hoping to reproduced the unerring accuracy he showed as one of the Premier League’s most prolific strikers, while defending BMW PGA Champion Byeong Hun An will partner Fowler’s former Liverpool and England teammate Jamie Redknapp.
David Howell, renowned for his putting prowess, partners former Australian cricketer Shane Warne, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Englishman Seve Benson are joined by rugby players Keith Wood and Mike Tindall respectively, while Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, the 2015 Challenge Tour Number One, completes the line-up alongside presenter Georgie Bingham.
The full line-up is:
- Byeong-Hun An and Jamie Redknapp
2. David Howell and Shane Warne
3. Ricardo Gouveia and Georgie Bingham
4. Thomas Bjorn and Robbie Fowler
5. Seve Benson and Mike Tindall
6. Martin Kaymer and Henni Zuel
7. Shane Lowry and Keith Wood
8. Graeme McDowell and AP McCoy
The Pressure Putt Showdown makes its debut on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club on Wednesday May 25, and will also take place at three subsequent events on the 2016 Race to Dubai.
