McDowell is showing poise of a champion

THE many American commentators who wondered aloud about Graeme McDowell’s worthiness to be crowned US Open champion after his great victory at Pebble Beach last June have been forced to eat another dose of humble pie after the latest heroics by the Portrush man in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Sunday.

The knockers must have known they were on thin ice when McDowell continued on from Pebble Beach — sinking the winning putt under fierce pressure in the Ryder Cup, winning for the third time in 2010 in the Andalucia Open and seeing off Tiger Woods in memorable fashion in his own Chevron World Challenge to finish his “dream year” on the highest possible note.

Instead of taking a lengthy break through Christmas and the new year, McDowell was quickly backin the thick of it, his enthusiasm to see Hawaii for the first time luring him to the Tournament of Champions on the first week of the new year.

Once again he demonstrated to his critics that all he achieved last year was no fluke, and had an eight-foot birdie putt not slid past the right lip on Sunday, he would have been into a play-off with Jonathan Byrd (the eventual winner) and Robert Garrigus.

McDowell comfortably retains his fifth place in the world rankings, having finished third on his own at Kapalua, completing the final round in a staggering 11 under par 62 in spite of missing out on that final hole birdie as what the natives describe as the ‘Kona wind’ got up and prevented him from reaching the green in two shots.

Nevertheless, G-Mac didn’t seem to mind unduly, consoling himself with the fact that the recent change from Callaway to Srixon clubs and balls hadn’t affected his performance: “I’ve just proven to the world that I’m not naïve enough to switch to inferior equipment. I’m very confident in Srixon, all I’ve done is gone from one great company to another.”

That closing round of 62 equalled the tournament and course record set by Korean KJ Choi in 2003 and also matched McDowell’s previous personal best set in the 2008 Irish Open at Baltray.

Ironically, he was obliged to withdraw from the championship the following day but there are no injury or health problems for himat the moment. He takes this week off but then heads for the Abu Dhabi Championship on the European Tour, starting on Thursday week.

That event carries a relatively modest prize fund of $2.7 million (€3.2 million) and yet boasts one of the strongest fields likely to assemble on the European circuit this year.

All four major champions of 2010, McDowell, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen (impressive winner of the Africa Open) and Martin Kaymer have entered, as has world number one Lee Westwood.

Pádraig Harrington (now out another spot in the world to 26th) also makes a much earlier start than usual to the new year in Abu Dhabi. Before departing for the Gulf, however, Harrington will meet Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson in Dublin later this week to announce, in the R&A’s words, “plans to jointly support the promotion of the game”.

Incidentally, the week in Abu Dhabi will be significant for more than the golf tournament itself, with the European Tour’s Tournament Committee apparently all set to rubber stamp Jose-Maria Olazabal’s appointment as European Ryder Cup captain in 2012.

That meeting, set for Tuesday next, has produced a few upsets in the past, most notably two years ago when Colin Montgomerie’s name was proposed from out of the blue and ultimately approved to skipper the side.

Olazabal looked a sure thing then, so he won’t be taking anything for granted, but this time he is surely as good as past the post.

Just about everyone, including Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, a pair eminently well qualified to do the job, fully support the Spaniard. However, it doesn’t help the prospects of either McGinley or Clarke becoming the first Irishman to captain a Ryder Cup side in 2014, when there will be many other strong candidates for the match at Gleneagles.

The US PGA is expected to announce in the next few weeks that Davis Love III will lead their side at Medinah next year.

This week, attention on the respective tours switches to the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Joburg Open in South Africa.

Ryan Palmer defends the Sony in a field including Ernie Els and Justin Rose while Charl Schwartzel, the talented South African, will hope to keep his trophy at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington against a useful entry that contains Ireland’s Darren Clarke (who has dropped back eight places in the world rankings to 108th), Gareth Maybin and Colm Moriarty, the Athlone man getting a rare chance on the main tour.

GMac poised to leap over Lefty after Hawaii heroics

GRAEME McDOWELL’S heroics in Hawaii over the weekend have left him poised to take the world number four spot off Phil Mickelson.

The gap between the pair is down to 0.09 points after the Irishman narrowly missed out on a play-off at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii after a course record-equalling closing round of 62.

Jonathan Byrd beat fellow American Robert Garrigus at the second extra hole in the first event of the 2011 PGA Tour season and leaps from 121st to 58th on the new rankings, while Ian Poulter’s sixth-place finish takes him back into the game’s top 10.