McDowell makes stunning start

Graeme McDowell made a brilliant start today in his bid to become Ireland’s first Open champion since 1947.

Striding the same links where Fred Daly triumphed all those decades ago, the 26-year-old, who came through a play-off to earn a place in the event, established a new course record at Royal Liverpool with a six-under-par 66.

And it came after he received some swing advice from “a local kid” who came up to him in a bar on the eve of the event.

“You’re Graeme McDowell, right?” said the youngster.

“You’ve got the club a little laid off at the top.”

With only one top 10 finish all season – it took him until April 21 just to make a halfway cut – McDowell was ready to listen to almost anybody and he then went out and kept a bogey off his card.

“I’m sure the guy will be looking for a beer when he sees me,” he said.

“Fair play to him – it’s something I’ve been working on. He knew his stuff.”

McDowell, though, has Tiger Woods right on his heels after the defending champion and world number one rolled home a 20-foot eagle putt at the 560-yard closing hole.

That lifted Woods into a tie for second place alongside English pair Greg Owen and Anthony Wall, Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and Japan’s Keiichiro Fukabori.

Out on the course late in the evening, however, Australian Brett Rumford was four under and still had two par-fives to come.

McDowell, a lowly 40th in the Ryder Cup points race following his early-season slump in America, had said on Tuesday that it might take victory on Sunday to revive his hopes of a debut in September.

“I think I am playing well enough. I will just keep my head down and hopefully put myself in a position,” he commented.

Well, with three rounds to go the dream is still very much alive.

McDowell, playing just his third Open and eighth major, included amongst his birdies a holed bunker shot at the short ninth. It gave him an outward 32 and he then picked up further shots at the next two and the long 16th.

The Ulsterman, who learnt golf on the same Royal Portrush course where Daly played, missed yet another cut in the Scottish Open last week.

But it may prove a blessing in disguise.

“The little extra time I spent here at the weekend, out of the tournament atmosphere, felt like a big help to me,” he commented.

“I’ve doubted what I’ve been doing on the course and last week got very confused. I was on a bit of a downer, but after working hard I feel like I’m very, very close to being back on track.

“Most players will say they learn more than their down times than their up times. It’s very mentally tough – you have to ask yourself a lot of tough questions. I’ve switched coaches, caddies and fitness coaches.”

Having shaken hands on the first tee with Nick Faldo – everybody was waiting to see if they would because he did not take to Faldo’s criticism of his swing last year – Woods three-putted the hole for bogey.

But it was to be his last mistake. He birdied the fifth, ninth, 11th and 16th and then did a signature fist-pump when the eagle putt dived into the hole.

World number two Phil Mickelson started with a 69, but Colin Montgomerie, who like the left-hander lost the US Open last month with a closing double bogey, could do no better than 73.

Luke Donald and David Howell fared even worse with 74s, while Padraig Harrington counted himself out of the title reckoning following a 75.

After a week of near-record temperatures, overnight rain softened the links and the start of play even had to be delayed for 30 minutes to allow the last of the thunderstorms to move away from the area.

Sergio Garcia came in with a 68, then Owen and Wall knocked a stroke off that to ignite their hopes of being the player to end Europe’s seven-year wait for a major champion.

Like McDowell, they left it late just to get into the championship.

Owen was awarded a place off his world ranking when the American qualifier was cancelled because of bad weather three weeks ago, while Wall sank a 40-foot putt to take the spot available at the European Open.

As for Faldo, he double-bogeyed the second and 17th in a scrappy five-over 77 that left him down near the rear of the field. Even Seve Ballesteros, in only his third tournament in 32 months and also with his son as caddie, did better than that with a 74.