LONDON (AFP) - Graeme McDowell predicted on Tuesday that the bitter fallout from the United States' Ryder Cup loss to Europe will make the 2016 tournament an even more compelling contest.

American stalwart Phil Mickelson turned on team captain Tom Watson following Europe's 161/2-111/2 victory at Gleneagles earlier this month, which McDowell felt contravened an "unwritten rule".

The US PGA has since convened an 11-strong task force to evaluate the Americans' approach to the Ryder Cup and McDowell believes Europe will therefore have to face doubly determined opponents in two years' time.

"I think there's positive and negative connotations there," the Northern Irishman said on the eve of his defence of the Volvo World Match Play Championship at The London Club.

"I think the negative being that maybe it takes too much emphasis off the European victory and (places) a little bit more on the US failure.

"And I think the positive being their renewed effort to win the Ryder Cup, and that can only be very, very good for the tournament. It just means two years' time is going to be fairly epic. I want to be there for sure."

Mickelson criticised Watson - who was sitting only a few feet away from him - during a spiky post-Ryder Cup press conference and McDowell felt the five-time Major-winner was wrong to do so.

"There's kind of an unwritten rule: you don't call your captain out at a Ryder Cup," McDowell said. "Win, lose or draw, you just don't."