G-Mac ready to master Augusta

THEY say it takes experience to win a Masters and after a shaky start to his career in the tournament, it can only be good news that Graeme McDowell finally feels comfortable at Augusta National.

After a breakout year in 2010 that saw the Portrush golfer become the US Open champion, win twice apiece on either side of the Atlantic, land a Ryder Cup for Europe and slay Tiger Woods in his own tournament, there is still much to achieve for the 31-year-old.

McDowell, whose delight with the way his preparation has gone was such that he took yesterday off to watch his beloved Manchester United play Chelsea, is still on an upward curve and nowhere is that more important than Augusta National, where in three appearances he has managed just one cut, when he finished 17th in 2009.

“Fourth Masters appearance, my first time in the press centre,” McDowell cracked this week as he faced the world’s media in his first Augusta National press conference.

It was an acknowledgement that for all his strides towards the top of his profession — and that includes being paired with Woods for the first two rounds alongside Australia’s Robert Allenby — the world number five still has to figure out the Masters.

“Yeah, my three appearances here, my record doesn’t read very well. Year by year, I feel my awareness and knowledge of this golf course continues to increase, knowing where I should be hitting it and where I shouldn’t be hitting it of course. I definitely feel as comfortable on this golf course as I’ve ever been.”

Along with that comfort around Augusta comes a self-belief, strengthened by his achievements of the last 12 months. Asked what he had discovered about himself in that period, McDowell replied: “Probably that I’m good enough. I’ve never been blessed with a talent of a Rory McIlroy or a Tiger Woods or a Sergio García or somebody like that. I’ve always had to work hard at my game. Things always came a little more difficult for me than other guys. I guess 2010 proved to me that I’m good enough. I’m on the right path, and I’m good enough to win the big tournaments.”

For all his talent and the buzz around his potential, McIlroy himself has enjoyed as low key a preparation as he could have hoped for, considering his short odds for a Masters win.

The 21-year-old’s last competitive outing was a month ago, finishing 10th at Doral in the WGC-Cadillac Championship and McIlroy used the latter part of his three-week break to practice in Florida, taking time out last week to visit Augusta and delay his arrival this week until Tuesday.

“I’ve come here feeling great,” world number eight McIlroy said. “I got in 10 really good days of practice down in Florida and had a couple of good days’ work here last week.”

All three Irish competitors this week — McDowell, McIlroy and Pádraig Harrington — missed the cut at last year’s Masters but all three present serious cases for consideration.

Yet European golf has a deep list of potential contenders this week with an English trio of Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter all in the frame, given their Masters records and current form.

Yet the chief European interest this weekend will be focused on the world numbers one and two, Martin Kaymer of Germany and England’s Lee Westwood, despite their Masters’ experiences being poles apart.

Kaymer has missed the cut in all three of his starts and will need to trust that the Augusta learning curve kicks in for him to contend. Westwood, meanwhile, finished runner-up last year to Phil Mickelson with an aggregate score of 275 that would have won him a Green Jacket in all but four of the last 35 Masters.

Yet there’s something about Mickelson and the Masters that is irresistible. The left-hander is completely at ease at Augusta National, having won three of the last seven times here, and has done so with some magical golf. Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have won the Masters in consecutive years but after Mickelson’s scintillating final rounds in Houston last weekend, you would not be surprised if he added his name to that list.

Mickelson is ahead of Woods in the world rankings for the first time since the 1990s and it is not just Ian Poulter who believes victory would be a surprise for the 14-time major winner this week, given the lack of consistency shown in his golf as he continues to retool his swing under new coach Sean Foley.

Yet Woods is not the only American threatening to unseat Mickelson and continue Europe’s drought into a 12th year since Jose Maria Olazabal won. Dustin Johnson has come close at the majors before and has the distance off the tee and the developing short game to conquer Augusta while Bubba Watson could continue the left-handers’ recent affinity with the course by following Mickelson’s path.

The real form horse, though is Nick Watney, who won at Doral and has not finished lower than 19th in three Masters starts, was seventh last year and has a stroke average around Augusta bettered only by Mickelson and Woods.

So many contenders, so many potential winners, but Augusta will sort them out and Watney could emerge as golf’s newest major champion.

Masters weather

TUESDAY’S practice round was delayed by 45 minutes as workers cleaned up debris left behind by a line of storms which moved though during the early morning hours.

But as the players prepare for today’s opening round, spectators will be thinking about a green t-shirt rather than a green jacket.

Temperatures will warm from near 80 today (25c) to the middle and upper 80s over the weekend under mostly sunny or partly cloudy skies.

There is a chance of an isolated thunderstorm Saturday afternoon as a frontal boundary lingers across the region. If any storms do form, they would be more of a nuisance than anything else.