A man with the drive to win

WHEN it comes to choosing the young Irish golfer most likely to fill the shoes of the modern stars like Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke, it is difficult to look beyond Graeme McDowell, the former amateur star from the Rathmore club in Portrush.

McDowell demonstrated the point again yesterday when he opened the Smurfit European Open with a fine round of 69 that leaves him in close contact with the leaders and looking forward to a lucrative weekend. McDowell seems to have everything to see him realise some lofty ambitions, chief among them being a cool disposition, a fine swing that enables him to hit the ball a long way, a sharp, short game and a keen work ethic.

He also has time on his side. He celebrates his 24th birthday on July 30 and is avidly looking forward to a four-week stint that may well indicate if he is on the way to realising the promise of a short but remarkably successful amateur career. His list of honours is headed by the Irish Close, Irish Youths, South of Ireland and World Collegiate Championships in the golden year of 2000. He also created a huge impression in his time at the University of Alabama where he was the number one ranked collegiate player in 2002 while he was also a key member of the British & Irish team that defeated the USA in the 2001 Walker Cup match at Sea Island, Georgia.

He turned professional a little over 12 months ago and signalled his arrival in the most emphatic manner with victory in the Scandinavian Masters.

“I was very happy with my ball striking”, said McDowell after yesterday’s 69. “I had two bogeys because of bad tee shots. I’ve been battling that flaw and working really hard to put it right and it only cost me two shots which was great. My shot of the day came at the 5th, a big five iron of 176 yards against the breeze up the hill to eight feet. That set up one of my five birdies

“Last year, I still had a very amateurish short game. I feel it is much better now, I chip and putt much better. I was efficient and under control. I worked really hard yesterday afternoon with my coach Tristan Mullally and the results were there today. I enjoy golf courses that are well framed, that have lots of good targets, lots of nice trees to aim at, and that’s what you have here. It’s playing very long and you have to drive it really good, that’s the key out here, and also strike your irons solidly, and I thought I did both today so I’m obviously very, very happy.”

McDowell stresses over and over again that he still has a long way to go before he reaches the level to which he is aspiring. Putting in the hours on the practice range is no hardship which is why you feel he deserves the success he craves.

“I’ve been working hard on my game all year,” he said. “I’m trying to reduce the movement in my swing, especially in the lower half of my body, and I feel it’s starting to come around a little. You can see that from my results in the last couple of months, the consistency is starting to come, and I’m very happy to open this tournament with a 69. It’s going to be a good week-end and I can’t think of a better place to play well than The K-Club.”

McDowell is currently 58th in the order of merit with 193,570 to his credit and doesn’t have to worry about his card for another 18 months or so thanks to his win in Scandinavia. But he is setting his sights a lot higher than that: “These top guys are really good, they’re there every week and that’s where I want to be. I think I’m on the right track. My short game still needs a lot of work, my swing is under progress. With the experience of the next couple of years, I feel I’m going to be in a position to win major championships. In two years time I should be ready to do that. I have really big plans this winter for my fitness and golf swing in general. I know what I’ve got to do and I’ll do that.”

It is difficult to avoid the impression that McDowell left his heart in the United States after his four years at college in Alabama. He played a few US Tour events in the early part of the year and admits he hankers after spending a considerable part of his time in America.

“I still have a lot of learning to do here in Europe and, until such time as I can dominate here, by which I mean I see that as top 15-20, I know my game will then be ready for the States”, he said. “For now I’m very happy where I am, but I would love to play 15, 16, 17 events in America every year. Guys like Padraig Harrington have the chance to do that through the majors and the world championships and picking up great events like Sawgrass.

“But at this time of the year, I don’t see myself anywhere else in the world but Europe.”