McDowell aims to make mark

Graeme McDowell is determined to make up for lost time and use his victory in the Ballantine’s Championship as a springboard for Ryder Cup qualification.

McDowell admits he made the mistake of “thinking the game was easy” after claiming his maiden European Tour title at the Volvo Scandinavian Masters at the age of 23.

His second win arrived in April 2004 – the Italia Open – but he had to wait four years for his next win with a nail-biting sudden-death play-off triumph over Jeev Milkha Singh at Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island yesterday.

Now 28, McDowell is intent on claiming a place in Nick Faldo’s European team to take on the USA in Valhalla in the Ryder Cup in September and he believes he has matured into a far better player.

“I’ve probably had more peaks and troughs in my career than most six-year-old professionals,” said McDowell, after moving up to sixth in the Ryder Cup rankings with victory in the European Tour’s inaugural event in South Korea.

“I think you’ve got to be pretty honest with yourself sometimes, just trying to work out what makes you tick.”

McDowell attributes his recent success to a more grown-up approach in scheduling tournaments – he admits he cannot play for more than four successive weeks – a new fitness regime and focusing on his targets.

“Looking back, taking my card back in the States in 06 was a mistake – I wasn’t really playing well enough; it was a Ryder Cup year – I don’t really know what my thought process was.

“But, at the K Club (the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup), I realised Ryder Cup was a massive goal for me and I wanted to be on the team.

“Europe is the place for me to be right now, trying to get on the team.

“I took most of August off last year and I really was targeting the start of the points.

“I wanted to see my name up there and give me something to motivate me and work hard.

“I wanted to come out and get some consistency in my game and give myself a chance to win as often as possible.”

McDowell has certainly established himself on the European circuit, with three top-10 appearances and three top-20 appearances in eight tournaments this year, form which has seen him climb to third in the order of merit table.

“I feel like I’ve arrived now as a three-time winner on the European Tour - this is the year for me,” said McDowell, who will line up in the World Golf Championship’s CA Championship next week in Miami.

“This one feels much better than Italy and Italy felt better than Sweden,” he added.

“Now I feel ready to be a prolific winner – I feel I can win multiple times this year no problem.”