GMac sets out plans

Graeme McDowell could not be happier with his start to the season or the new schedule he has mapped out to avoid burnout later in the year.

Win or lose in the third round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Tucson last night, where he was locked in a tight battle with US Ruder Cup star Hunter Mahan, the 34-year old was certain to head into next week’s Honda Classic on a high.

He admits he was “fried” during the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, where he won just one point out of four, and again last year, when he failed to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship for the second year in a row.