McDowell looks forward with optimism

Graeme McDowell will head into the BMW Asian Open full of confidence after a solid performance saw him claim a tie for second place at the Volvo China Open.

A final round 69, to go with three scores of 70, saw McDowell finish as runner-up on five under par – five strokes behind Austrian winner Marcus Brier and level with Australian Scott Hend and South Africa’s Andrew McLardy.

But after taking a five-week break from the game, the 27-year-old feels his display at the Shanghai Silport GC gives plenty of cause for optimism despite coming up against the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Paul Casey in Shanghai this Thursday.

“I played very steady all week,” he said. “The putter went a little cold on me on Sunday but I’m happy with consistent level of play and I’m really taking some good form with me into the next few weeks.

“And it’s a tough golf course. It tests you so much off the tee and my driving of the ball improved dramatically, which really pleased me going into the BMW Open. It’s a similar type golf course to here and I’m really looking forward to it.”

McDowell also revealed adopting a more analytical approach to his game really paid off as he held the distinction of being the only player to break over all four days.

“Frustrated is a word I need to take out of my vocabulary,” he added.

“It’s not about being frustrated. I need to learn from mistakes, give myself credit where credit’s due and keep on improving, and I feel like that’s what I’m doing well at the minute.

“I improved every round, which was nice as it was four very different days with the wind changing direction all the time.”

Overnight leader Brier was never really threatened over the final 18 holes as any potential challenge failed to emerge.

And, after claiming the second European title of his career, the Austrian has set his sights on a place in the European Ryder Cup team in 2008.

“It’s a dream but this win has brought me a step closer to that,” said the 38-year-old. “All right, I have to have five or six weeks like this to get in the Ryder Cup team but why not?

“When I came on tour seven years ago, I was miles away from winning a tournament but you have to keep believing. My game was really good this week and, if I keep that up, who knows?”

Despite picking up the biggest cheque of his career, just over £168,000 (€246,000), Brier insisted money is not a motivating factor when it comes to golf.

“My goals are world ranking, order of merit, and getting into the majors and the Ryder Cup, then the money comes with it,” he said. “When I am out there, I don’t think about the money or I’d go crazy if I missed a putt.”