Pumped-up McDowell is ready to rumble
And that’s why he’s keen to duck under the ropes, dance onto the first tee like a prize fighter and stare the impressive German in the eye when they are paired together for the first round of the decisive Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates tomorrow.
“It’s going to be mano-a-mano, the adrenaline will be pumping, it’ll be game-on and I’ll be up for it,” said McDowell, who needs a top-three finish if he is to erase the US PGA champion’s €290,911 lead at the top of the money list and become European No 1. “It’s going to be good to look him in the eye and I look forward to doing that.”
Kaymer looked a racing certainty to become the first German player since Bernhard Langer to be crowned European No 1 when he raced almost €1m clear of McDowell following his victory in last month’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. But 31-year old McDowell refused to concede defeat and after starting a five-week run with a win in the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, and continuing that by finishing third and fifth in his last two starts, he is the master of his own destiny.
The stocky Portrush man insists that his batteries are fully charged thanks to the adrenaline and confidence he has built up over the past month. He’s flying and he’s not prepared to give up the chase without a fight.
“Any tiredness in there is not going to rear its head until this week is all over,” he said yesterday. “This is what I needed. This is why this week wasgoing to work for me. Any tiredness I have in my body ain’t going to come out until Sunday night. I’m going to step on that first tee on Thursday and the adrenaline is going to be there.”
Momentum will be key and McDowell knows that he has to get off to a fast start on the 7,675-yard Earth course that favours bigger hitters such as Kaymer, Rory McIlroy or defending champion Lee Westwood.
“I’ve taken large chunks out of his lead the last four weeks and I’ve got a little bit of momentum. I’ve got to feel that and use that this week,” McDowell said after he and fellow major winners Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen were presented with honorary life membership of the European Tour.
“I’ve got to feel like I’m the guy who’s playing the best of the two of us. But it’s not just about us two because I’ve got to win, or finish top three and hope he doesn’t finish top 10.Realistically, I’ve got to be targeting the top two spots. But there are a lot of guys to beat, including the world No 1, Lee Westwood, who is the course and distance specialist. And you’ve got your Paul Caseys, Luke Donalds, Ian Poulters and Rory McIlroys and some other seriously strong guys running around.”
McDowell is intelligent enough to know he can’t win the Race to Dubai tomorrow. But he can give Kaymer food for thought and grab a vital psychological advantage by outscoring the German on a course he struggled to tame last year.
“It is a big hitters course. You’ve got to move it off the tee,” said McDowell, who is flying the ball 280 yards through the air and added nearly 10 yards to his driving distance by opting for a longer shaft.
“I was despondent about the course last year but there is a little bit extra rough this year and I am driving the ball better. I’ve got a new driver in the bag. I’m using a 46-and-a-half inch Callaway FT Tour which I put in the bag the week of Firestone after playing with Pádraig at the Irish Open. He’s using a 47 inch driver and I put a 46-and-a-half inch driver in the bag. I’ve picked up a couple of miles per hour ball speed which equates to about eight yards in the real world.
“I don’t think Martin’s that much longer than me anymore.”
Kaymer gave the European Tour another boost yesterday when he confirmed that he was following the lead of Westwood and McIlroy and opting not to take out his PGA Tour card next year.
“I consider European Tour as my home — that is where I feel comfortable,” the 25-year-old said. “I think you play against the best players in the world. You have all of the great players here and schedule-wise it doesn’t fit for me next year to play on the PGA Tour.”
He’s determined to cap a dream season by becoming Europe’s No 1 and while he knows that a top-two finish could see him replace Westwood as world No 1, he’s aware that McDowell is no pushover.
Kaymer said: “It’s probably the biggest week of my career so far. When I turned pro, I had three goals: to win a major, to play in and win the Ryder Cup and to become No 1 in Europe. So two-thirds are done.
“I don’t need to win this week, but that’s my goal. I cannot rely on Graeme playing bad.”
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