TOUR NEWS:THE SUSPICION exists, given his current stellar form, that Graeme McDowell could use a bamboo cane or a wizard's wand and still find a way to get the ball into the hole.
In shooting a course record-equalling 62 in the final round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to kick-start his season’s campaign with a third-place finish – missing out by a shot on the play-off where Jonathan Byrd beat Robert Garrigus – McDowell proved a number of points: firstly, that his big-money switch to use Srixon clubs rather than Callaway was not a judgment made simply for money; and, secondly, that his form of last year has stayed within his 5ft 11in frame into the new season.
McDowell, who is due to make his seasonal debut on the European Tour at next week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, has consolidated his fifth place in the official world rankings and, in fact, has moved within touching distance of overhauling Phil Mickelson and moving to a career high fourth. The American is now only 0.09 points ahead of the Northern Irishman in the latest listings, with G-Mac – despite not playing this week – likely to move ahead of Mickelson by next Monday’s new rankings.
The evidence base from McDowell’s return to tour play indicates a player in serious rude health: he finished first in putting and second in greens-in-regulation in Hawaii. “I’ve proven to the world I’m not naive enough to switch to inferior equipment,” remarked McDowell, adding: “I’m very confident in Srixon . . . all I’ve done is gone from one great company to another.”
In truth, McDowell’s actions on the course spoke louder than any words as he performed a seamless transition to the new clubs in his bag and provided yet further evidence that he has matured into one of the game’s leading lights. Who knows? Maybe he could be the hottest player in the sport right now? Certainly, he has developed a habit of putting himself into contention week-in and week-out.
Remarkably, McDowell got within a hair’s breadth of winning, finishing a stroke outside the two-way play-off, without managing to birdie the par-five 18th in any of the four rounds. On Saturday night, McDowell and his caddie, Kenny Comboy, had analysed the statistics from the first three rounds. “He showed me my stats, they were level par for the last six holes through the first three rounds. I said to myself, ‘let’s try and finish the job’. I set myself a personal challenge to play the last six holes properly . . . And I hit it way down there on 13. I hit it close. And on 14, I was on the front edge of the green which was an easy birdie. (And) 15, I made a great putt there, and 16, I hit a pretty decent little shot in there. I played great, I didn’t really put my putter under a whole lot of pressure.”
That run of four birdies from the 13th to the 16th gave McDowell a fighting chance coming to the final two holes, but the birdies dried up. Still, his round of 11-under matched his performance in the second round of the Irish Open at Baltray in 2009 – an occasion he was forced to withdraw the following day due to shin splints – and left him in no doubt that all is well with the world as he moves on to Abu Dhabi.
He said: “It’s just great to go low, to come out and answer all of the questions (about switching club manufacturers). I realised it was going to be a difficult way to start the season with new equipment in the bag coming off the back of last year, there was always going to be questions. It’s great to perform the way I have. I believe Srixon have the equipment to help me continue to win golf tournaments . . . I’m just over the moon with the way I played.”
In contrast to the way he grinded out a final round in his breakthrough Major win in the US Open at Pebble Beach last June, McDowell adopted a more gung-ho approach in seeking to make up a six-shot deficit going into the final round in Hawaii.
He explained: “I don’t mind being whatever player it is that needs to win. I take pride in the fact that I can shoot 11 under par and then I can shoot level par for four rounds at the US Open and win. I guess I take pride in the fact I can adapt my game to whatever is necessary. Some weeks, you have to shoot 30 under par and other weeks, it is level par.
“I feel like I have a bit of both in me. I’m not a Robert Garrigus or Bubba Watson. I don’t move it 350 yards off the tee, but I’m certainly long enough to compete any week and I feel like I’ll continue to get better and better. If I can keep doing that, I’m going to have many opportunities to win in the future.”
McDowell, who is combining playing on both the US Tour and the European Tour this season, will next tee up in Abu Dhabi – where Rory McIlroy and Pádraig Harrington are scheduled to make their seasonal debuts – while Shane Lowry, who suffered a fractured wrist when falling on ice over the Christmas period, is unlikely to resume his tournament play until the Dubai Desert Classic next month which finishes the four-week Desert Swing that takes in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai.
Colm Moriarty gets a rare outing on the main tour when he competes in this week’s Joburg Open where he will be joined by Gareth Maybin and Darren Clarke.
USPGA TOUR TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS(at The Plantation Course — Kapalua Resort, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii, States. USA unless stated, par 73): Final scores:268 – Jonathan Byrd 66 68 67 67 (Jonathan Byrd won at second play-off hole), Robert Garrigus 69 63 69 67; 269 – Graeme McDowell (N Ire)71 68 68 62; 272 – Steve Stricker 69 67 65 71, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 66 67 71 68; 274 – Ian Poulter (Eng) 70 68 70 66, Matt Kuchar 69 70 66 69; 276 – Bill Haas 68 70 69 69; 278 – Dustin Johnson 71 66 73 68, Jim Furyk 68 68 72 70, Jason Day (Aus) 73 66 69 70; 279 – Bill Lunde 70 68 70 71, Arjun Atwal (Ind) 72 69 68 70, Justin Rose (Eng) 75 67 69 68; 280 – Francesco Molinari (Ita) 69 67 74 70, Ryan Palmer 70 72 68 70; 281 – Ernie Els (Rsa) 72 64 74 71, Tim Clark (Rsa) 72 68 73 68; 282 – Anthony Kim 69 71 74 68, Matt Bettencourt 73 70 70 69; 283 – Ben Crane 67 70 74 72, Adam Scott (Aus) 73 67 70 73 284 Zach Johnson 71 73 69 71, Cameron Beckman 72 71 70 71; 285 – Hunter Mahan 70 70 78 67, Charley Hoffman 68 75 67 75, Bubba Watson 70 70 73 72; 286 – Heath Slocum 70 74 72 70, Jason Bohn 72 72 72 70; 289 – Stuart Appleby (Aus) 69 75 73 72; 295 – Rocco Mediate 79 70 75 71; 296 – Derek Lamely 72 76 78 70.
