Upbeat McDowell relishing first major challenge

IT was far from the Scottish Open weekend that Graeme McDowell had hoped for.

Friday’s 65 opened up the prospect of a big weekend for the Portrush man but he only managed rounds of 70 and 72 to remain at five under par for the tournament.

However, he remained commendably upbeat at finishing a lowly 27th (worth 29,114) and is looking forward to his first appearance in a major at Royal Troon later this week.