CHARLIE MULQUEEN: G-Mac says Masters setback was motivation at Heritage

A class act.

Those words came readily to mind when Graeme McDowell held off Webb Simpson in a sudden death play-off for the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head on Sunday evening.

Triumphalism is not part of the Irishman’s repertoire and the manner in which he accepted the victory by genuinely consoling his luckless opponent spoke volumes for G-Mac, who has now jumped back up to eighth in the world rankings.

He had also allowed his ball striking and course management make the difference and it showed in the play off.

After he bogeyed the 18th in real time, when he held a stroke advantage, this time he placed his tee shot in the right spot before drilling a superb six iron to within 18 feet of the cup. As it transpired, two putts were enough to secure the title and the €800,000 prize cheque.

G-Mac was also quick to point out that it was a sudden gust of wind rather than a poor Simpson shot that sent the American’s third running six feet past the hole when it originally looked set to finish almost stone dead.

He also described it as his first authentic win on the PGA Tour as distinct from his victory in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, an event run by the USGA. And, having experienced his fair share of disappointments and missing the cut at the Masters, he ruefully stressed: “This game kicks you more often than it gives you a pat on the back. It’s hard to win.”

McDowell acknowledged he was frustrated and disappointed after missing the weekend at Augusta National by a shot. If he had made the cut, McDowell wondered if he’d have had the motivation to break through at Harbour Town.

“It’s funny the way things happen,” he said. “I wouldn’t swap this for a top 10 last week.”

Television commentators constantly referred to McDowell’s early golf days on the windswept Royal Portrush links as if to suggest he had an advantage over everybody else in the field. While a wind advisory for the area with gusts of up to 45mph was issued, and one of those may well have proved Simpson’s undoing, in truth, it was the same for everyone in the field.

“I guess the weather was what the doctor ordered. I needed that to get close to the leaders,” said McDowell, who moved to sixth in the FedEx Cup standings with his victory.

McDowell’s been at the centre of some of golf’s biggest moments, from his rousing triumph at Pebble Beach in 2010 to capturing the winning point for Europe in that year’s Ryder Cup matches. He has six European tour victories, too, and he has now a first win on the US PGA Tour.