McDowell bags an albatross

LEVEL PAR round a course as difficult as The K Club, especially when the wind is blowing strongly and the rough is at its most intimidating, is very respectable indeed.

But 25 year-old Graeme McDowell performed in such a manner yesterday that he could have even threatened Darren Clarke’s untouchable course record of 60 set in the 1999 Smurfit European Open.

It was, quite simply, a bizarre round consisting of an albatross two, an eagle three, two birdies, a double bogey, five bogeys and just seven pars. That adds up to 72 and left the Portrush golfer shaking his head in bewilderment. Still, he wasn’t complaining about his score for he was out in by far the worst of the conditions and was a whole lot better than Padraig Harrington, who was completely drained after his heroic victory in the Barclays Westchester Classic at the weekend and struggled to get one shot inside the dreaded 80 mark.