McDowell keen to sample second Ballantine’s success

LITTLE did Graeme McDowell appreciate two years ago the magnitude of his victory in the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship in Korea.

The Portrush player pulled off one of the shots of the season in defeating India’s Jeev Milka Singh at the third extra play-off hole on the Pinx Golf Club course.

Cheering on from the clubhouse was Pádraig Harrington while Paul McGinley, who finished third, followed the play-off action as McDowell sealed success with a superb seven-iron shot from 179-yards out to tap-in distance at the third extra green.

McDowell has returned to the Korean holiday island of Jeju hoping to repeat that success that will ultimately lead to selection in Colin Montgomerie’s Ryder Cup side at Celtic Manor.

“It’s always nice to come back to a golf course where you’ve won,” said McDowell.

“I hit some great shots here a couple of years ago and those memories come flooding back. Thankfully, none of the bad shots I hit last year come flooding back.

“But it’s nice to be back and also the golf course is set up a lot more like it was in 2008 this year and while the weather forecast is a little dodgy for Thursday, we should get nice weather on the weekend.”

Along with the €333,330 first prize cheque, then McDowell’s largest before winning in Scotland, he also went home with some five bottles of Ballantine’s best.

McDowell and five fellow Irishmen arrived in Korea from China and managed to avoid the Iceland volcano airline chaos that had kept planes grounded across Europe.

And after finishing eighth in last week’s Volvo China Open in the very next week following his poor Augusta National showing, McDowell could not be more upbeat heading into the event.

“Eighth last week in China was a nice finish,” he said. “But it’s been kind of a funny year. I’ve played some really good golf. I’ve been playing well now for probably the last eight months.

“I finished last year pretty strong in the World Cup in China but got off to a low start this season.

“When I won here in 2008 I developed a great relationship with the Ballantine’s Company, and it’s another Ryder Cup year, so hopefully I can get things started off again with a good performance here and kind of spark maybe my road to The Ryder Cup team again.”

McDowell’s eighth in China moved him to 17th on the Ryder Cup World Points list and to 20th on the European Points list.

A second Korean win in the space of three years would certainly propel the 30-year old well into team selection reckoning.

“When I came here to Korea two years ago to play in the Ryder Cup later that year was certainly a goal,” he said.

“But now years down the line I’ve got a Ryder Cup under my belt and I’m a more experienced player and there’s no doubt I feel like I’m more of a contender this time around than maybe I was in 2008.”

The field also includes Ernie Els, a two-times winner this year, and World No. 10 Anthony Kim, who won the Shell Houston Open the week before Augusta.