G-Mac: I was ‘too ready’ for British Open

GRAEME McDOWELL is looking forward to this week’s Irish Open and hoping it can act as a springboard to a strong second half of what has been a disappointing year.

By his own admission, 2011 has not come close to living up to the dream season he experienced in the previous 12 months. The US Open at Pebble Beach, two more European Tour wins, securing the winning Ryder Cup point for Europe and a play-off defeat of Tiger Woods at the Chevron World Challenge would be difficult to top for any golfer, let alone the gongs and baubles that accompanied them.

Yet this season has seen golf bite back, throwing in four nightmare rounds — at Bay Hill, in The Players Championship, the Wales Open and most recently a second-round 77 which sent him crashing out before the weekend of the British Open two weeks ago — and leaving McDowell scratching his head looking for answers.

“It’s funny because I’ve made these mistakes before, but it’s just at a much lower level,” McDowell said yesterday.

“Of course, I want to win golftournaments. I want to win major championships and I want to be the best player I can be, but sometimes you can want that all too much.

“I’ve had three or four very uncharacteristic rounds of golf this year that have just been borne out of wanting it too much, wanting too much, too quickly and not being patient with myself.”

Having relinquished his US Opentitle to Rory McIlroy with a soliddefence at Congressional Country Club in June, McDowell thought he was in good shape ahead of the British Open only to scramble his way to a two-under-par opening 68 and then slide the wrong side of the cut-line with a 77.

It turns out, McDowell has concluded, he was too well prepared.

“The Open experience was quite painful for me. I was a bit dejected after the Friday round. Painful because of the way I played and practiced more than anything.

“I think I had upped my expectation level at The Open because I was hitting it beautiful in practice, and I felt good on the golf course.

“Everything felt like it was good. It just didn’t happen for me. I rescued a round on Thursday. But I think I really didn’t have all aspects of my game in the best possible shape that it could be in.

“My short game was not the best shape it could be in. My confidence was a little bit thin. I hit a couple of ragged shots on the front nine on Friday and kind of went chasing the golf course, and ended up getting beat up, and I was very, very disappointed.

“My preparation was too perfect for The Open. I was too ready.”

Having watched Darren Clarke win the Claret Jug from the discomfort of his sofa in Portrush and then celebrated with the newly-crowned British Open champion, McDowell set about putting his golfing brain back together again.

“I’ve got a lot to look forward to. And my game is in good shape. I’m not getting anything out of the game at the minute. If anything, it’s kicking me a little bit at the minute but I’m actually feeling particularly positive about my game and I’ve just got to stay on that track really. I know in my heart how well I’m playing.”

McDowell will have the chance to show it this week in Killarney.