Life on rough edge of professional game

FOR a golfer just starting out on his professional career, life could not be more idyllic for Graeme McDowell.

On the long flight back from Sahalee, Seattle, having taken his place among the world’s top 75 golfers in the WGC NEC Invitational last weekend, the Portrush man, who just turned 23, will no doubt have had time to reflect on a whirlwind and extremely lucrative start just 11 weeks ago to his life as pro.

Victory at the Scandinavian Masters six weeks into his fledging career has catapulted the Ulsterman into golf’s elite. With 384,651 euro in the bank already, a lucrative deal with TaylorMade and Adidas Golf signed and sealed and a two-year tournament exemption on the European Tour to ease the pressure, McDowell has already laid the foundations for a successful career.