Graeme McDowell only beats four players but still makes big sum at LIV Bangkok event

Graeme McDowell slid down the leaderboard after closing rounds of 73 and 71 at the LIV Golf Invitational at Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok.

But the Portrush man still pocketed $255,000, as his team, Cleeks GC, finished on the podium.

McDowell opened his tournament with a four-under-par round of 68, one of the counting scores for his team.

READ MORE: Amateur who turned pro to join LIV Golf claims £3.6m prize with win in Thailand

But the 2010 US Open champion struggled over the weekend and ended up finishing in 43rd place, beating only four players in the tournament.

Despite this, McDowell pocketed $130,000 from the individual event, which was won by Spaniard Eugenio López-Chacarra on 19-under-par.

McDowell didn't contribute to his team's total in the second or final round, but Cleeks GC, composed of McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Richard Bland and Laurie Canter, had a strong weekend.

Bland, 49, was the star man for the team. He finished on 15-under-par for fourth place in the individual event.

Cleeks GC were just one shot behind the second-placed team Crushers GC (Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri) and a further seven shots behind winners Fireballs GC (Sergio Garcia, López-Chacarra, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz).

For Cleek's third-place finish McDowell pocketed another $125,000. This brought his prize money for the week to $255,000.

Staggeringly, despite his best individual finish in six events being a tie for 12th place, McDowell has earned $1,374,000 (€1,410,000) in his LIV Golf career to date.

The winner of LIV Bangkok, López-Chacarra, joined the tour straight out of college having been one of the top-ranked amateurs in the world.

And his decision seems to have paid off, at least financially, as the 22-year-old won $4,750,000 over the weekend.

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