Mission impossible for Irish

GRAEME McDOWELL’S disappointing season came back to haunt him when he and Rory McIlroy again let victory slip from their grasp for a second time running in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China.

The alternate shot format on the last day again proved to be Ireland’s Achilles Heel with McIlroy and McDowell battling their way to a level-par 72, just as they did in 2009 when finishing a stroke behind Italy.

The US Open-winning pair commenced the last day in front but on this occasion a similar 72 on the Blackstone course sent them into a share of fourth at 21 under par and three shots behind US pair Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland.

McIlroy and McDowell were the only team among the 10 nations not to break par on day four.

In the betterball Fourball format Ireland excelled with McIlroy ‘carrying’ McDowell with first and third round scores of 63 and 64. But when the team reverted to the alternate shot foursomes on the second and last day McDowell struggled with scores of 68 and the final day level-par figure.

McIlroy admitted: “It just wasn’t a great final round as we didn’t get anything going. It felt like every time we got a bit of momentum, we took a step backwards again. We birdied five and then bogeyed six and didn’t take advantage of the breaks we got on the par-fives. When you’re struggling in foursomes it’s very hard to get the momentum back.

“It’s easy enough to get into it, but when you don’t have it, it’s a real struggle to keep it going and keep yourself in good spirits. I just felt like I was letting the team down, and G-Mac felt like he was letting the team down.”

Kuchar and Woodland delivered a 24th World Cup for the USA in the 56-year history of event, winning by two strokes with a 24-under par tally. World number 10 Kuchar was on a real high and hollering: ‘Woh, we’re the world champions. We’re the world champions,” in the aftermath.

It is the second week running Kuchar has tasted team success as he arrived in China having celebrated the Americans’ retention of the Presidents Cup in Melbourne.

The England side of Ian Poulter and Justin Rose recorded the lowest final round of 63 to share second place on 22-under par with Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka.

McIlroy and McDowell’s consolation came in the form of a €247,740 cheque to split.

Once McIlroy’s commitments are complete in Yokohama he is heading straight for Hong Kong and Thursday’s start to the UBS Hong Kong Open.

“It will an important two weeks for me, Hong Kong and then Dubai. If I am to unseat Luke [Donald] for the Race to Dubai title I am going to have to win both events, and then for Luke to play very average in Dubai.

“So I’m trying to end the season as best I can.”