Graeme McDowell plans another revolution at Versailles
However, if you’ve been paying any attention over the last few years, it might be better to wait until after this week’s Alstom Open de France.
The 2010 US Open winner is in danger of falling out of the world’s Top 50 after a snail-like start to 2015 that has seen him slip from 15th last December 31 to 48th today.
However, as happened last year — and to some extent in 2013 — he’ll be hoping to kickstart his season with a win at Le Golf National near Versailles. He’s going for three in a row there this week and he needs something good to happen. If he doesn’t react soon and Shane Lowry backs up his rising fortunes with a win, Ireland’s Olympic Games pairing could be Lowry-McIlroy. At least, that’s what the Portrush native should be telling himself after a fourth missed cut of the year in the US Open .
Not only is his place in all next year’s Majors under threat — his five-year US Open exemption runs out after this year’s US PGA at Whistling Straits — he’s also been passed by Lowry in the race to make Ireland’s 2016 Olympic Games team.
McDowell is not a man given to panic, however, and he will look back at the great Jack Nicklaus for inspiration as tries to combine tour life with his role as a husband and father.
“ I tried in earnest, given the nature of professional tournament golf to put the wellbeing and happiness of my wife, Barbara, and my children — Jack, Steve, Nan, Gary and Michael — ahead of all other priorities and concerns,” father-of-five Nicklaus wrote in his autobiography
McDowell has admitted several times this year that he subconsciously let himself ease off mentally following his marriage to Kristin Stape and the birth of the couple’s first child, a girl, in August last year.
“My general desire to go and hit golf balls has not really been, perhaps, where it has been in the past,” he said. “I feel like I have other things in my mind. It took me four, five, six months to recognise that, I suppose. As my game has not been where I’ve wanted it to be the last three or four months, you start to ask the question why, and I felt like the answer is: Just a little bit of lack of desire and motivation, and spending more time with my family and not really wanting to grind as hard as I have been.”
McDowell says one of his biggest motivations now is the thought of seeing his daughter Vale “running on to the 18th green on a Sunday afternoon... What does that mean? I have to start working hard again and I’ve been working hard the last few months and I really feel like my game is turning around. It’s been a problem but it’s been a great problem. It’s been a mental kind of shift, which has been affecting the technicalities of my game. I just haven’t played well, because I haven’t really been applying myself, and recognising that is tough and I have now and I feel like I’ve been trying to solve the problem and get myself back.”
McDowell is still on schedule as far as his game sharpness goes and while he missed the cut in the US Open at Chambers Bay, he left Washington believing he’s close to turning the corner.
Also, with a huge run of events to come — he plays the French Open, Scottish Open, the Open and the RBC Canadian Open, followed by the Bridgestone Invitational and the US PGA in the space of seven weeks — he hopes to see his game click soon.
Since splitting with Horizon Sports Management last year, McDowell has concentrated hard on his business interests, the Nona Blue restaurant in Orlando, his clothing line with Kartel and his own beer, G-Mac’s Celtic Style Pale Ale, to name but three.
However, this can’t be blamed for his loss of form, as top business partners and employees manage those brands.
Hard work and a glance at the world rankings and the stretch of great events ahead means it would be foolish to bet against him. What better place to start than the French Open, where he will bid to become only the second man in the tournament’s illustrious history to win the title three years in succession. France’s Marcel Dallemagne won in 1936 at Saint-Germain, in 1937 at Saint-Cloud and in 1938 at Fourqueux.
McDowell said: “It would be a beautiful thing to win three in a row. A couple of great weeks can certainly get a season back on the rails again.”
Winning European Ryder Cup team captain Paul McGinley is calling on boys aged 16 years or younger to enter the Grange Dublin Boys’ golf championship.
Now in its 22nd year, the popular 36-hole annual event takes place at Grange on Monday, July 20, for 69 players of 16 handicap and under.
The closing date for entries is Friday, July 10.
McGinley said: “I believe it is crucial for the future of Irish golf that the game is supported at underage level and I commend my sponsors Allianz and my club Grange for their on-going commitment to this championship.”
Entries at http://www.grangegolfclub.ie/
This year’s St Anne’s Father and Son Open Matchplay promises to be the biggest yet.
More than 150 golfers will chase the coveted title in the 15th staging of the competition, with One Plus Accountants sponsoring the event. Qualifying will take place on Saturday, August 15, with the top 32 pairs going on to compete in matchplay on August 17-22.
All weekday matches will start after 3pm to give players a chance to get to the links from work.
The entry fee is €40 per pair and all players must have a valid GUI handicap, with limits of 20 for fathers and 24 for sons.
Further details and an online application form are available on the website www.stanneslinksgolf.com. Call 01 8336471 for further details.
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