I’m playing well enough to win this week, says McDowell

Graeme McDowell returns to Valhalla this week knowing fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy will be the one to beat when the PGA Championship gets under way on Thursday but confident he also belongs on the list of contenders.

McIlroy will start the final Major of the year as red-hot favourite in Kentucky after following his Open Championship victory with a second win in as many starts on Sunday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio that sent him back to the top of the world rankings.

“He’s the number one in the world player so I don’t see anything of this golf course which suggests to me Rory McIlroy can’t get around it,” McDowell said yesterday after playing the back nine of the par-71 Valhalla course.

“He’s one of the men to beat. Very difficult to continue the roll he’s on, you know, his expectation levels have to be sky high and they are always tough to deal with but he’s thenumber one in the world again and deservedly so.

“If you can stay close to him this week you won’t be far away. It looks like a scoring course, could need 12, 14 16 under if he’s drives it the way he drove last week... it looked like the Rory of old, which is fairlyominous.”

Yet McDowell finished in close proximity at both Hoylake, where he placed tied ninth at The Open, and Firestone Country Club where he shot back to back 66s to finish in a tie for eighth.

“Two under par rounds at Firestone coming in here, not a course that’s been a happy hunting ground,” he said, “nice to play as well on the weekend, keeps the momentumgoing at the minute. Five top-10s on the bounce, very pleasing cominginto Ryder Cup teams being picked and Major championship season. I’m in a good place, nice to be proving it on the course.

“I’m playing well enough to win this week, simple as. I mean, I can’t control what anybody else does. If someone shoots 25 under par and I can’t catch them so be it, but if I can get into themix here I feel like all facets of my game are working well enough to win around this type of golf course.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been there on aSunday afternoon of a Major championship so that’s the goal this week to position myself there. A couple of shots off the lead going in on Sunday, that would be my goal.”

Ryder Cup qualification for Paul McGinley’s Team Europe at Gleneagles in late September has been one of McDowell’s main priorities for this season and his move to ninth place in the standings, good for an automatic pick, was a major boost, as is coming back to Valhalla, scene of an impressive debut, albeit on Nick Faldo’s losing team, in 2008.

“My memories were stronger than I thought they were going to be,” he said of his return to the Louisville course yesterday. “Aside from the deflation of losing, personally Ienjoyed the week, it was a big part of my maturing as a player. I learnt a lot, gained a lot of self-confidence and belief that I could compete at that level. This was big week for me in my overall career.

“My memories of the course are pretty good, it’s just the green complexes (that have been redesigned). I’m a guy who likes to see the place twice. I’ll play 18 (today), nine Wednesday and we’ll be as prepped as anyone.”