There's a story Graeme McDowell tells of his time at the University of Alabama, where he mixed days on a golf course with days behind a lecture hall desk. And it provides a hint as to how the golfer - who has graduated seamlessly from college life to living out of a suitcase on tour - developed a confident persona, in some ways mimicking that of his old school pals, writes Philip Reid from Wentworth.

"Being in America and rubbing shoulders with the American people definitely had an impact on me," insisted McDowell, who has rediscovered his on-course confidence in recent weeks. "They're probably the most confident people in the world, and my own confidence increased by playing out there for a few years.

"My American team-mates, who were not necessarily as talented as I was, thought they could beat the hell out of me every time. And that kind of confidence, that kind of psyche that American players have, stood me in good stead. It gave me the instinct to be a winner, to learn how to win."

In short, the swagger is back in McDowell's gait. Last week, in Hamburg, he played in the final pairing - along with Padraig Harrington - and finished in tied-fifth, his first top-10 finish of the season.

Yesterday, on a Wentworth course he played for the first time on Tuesday, but whose tree-lined terrain is ingrained in his memory bank from watching on television, McDowell opened with a four-under-par 68 to trail first-round leader Darren Clarke by two shots.

So, for the second week running, McDowell is, to use his own words, "in the mix." The transformation in his form is the product of hard work, and some serious thinking. After his win in the Scandinavian Masters last August - just his fourth event on the European Tour - he felt he didn't refocus his goals. "I certainly didn't play well towards the end of last year and I gave myself a bit of a kick in the butt in the off-season," he remarked.

Indeed, the 23-year-old from Portrush seems to respond better to the bigger events, and playing well in these events also assists in his quest to move up the world rankings and get into the even bigger ones, like the majors and the world golf championships.

"These tournaments, the Deutsche Bank last week, the Volvo PGA this week, really inspire a player. I feel like I play well when I'm inspired by the crowds, getting reactions around the greens. I guess it affects my game nicely. It's a good thing to be a big-week player and I feel that I am one."

His fifth-place finish has fuelled new belief. "I just play week by week and things like exemptions for majors and stuff hopefully will take care of themselves."

The form he showed in Hamburg has stayed with him, giving an indication that the consistency is indeed back. Not one to enjoy the face-to-face talks with a sports psychologist - "I've tried it and I don't like it," he admitted - McDowell prefers to read psychology books and sift through the pages, taking on board the part that he believes relates to him.

"Staying in the present, much like taking one shot at a time, is one of my axioms and I'll say it to myself maybe 30 times in a round."

On a course like Wentworth, that is a good policy - and McDowell didn't let his thoughts race away with him as he negotiated his way around. His only blemish came on the second hole, which he bogeyed in the early morning when it was cold and windy. "I kind of got off to a negative start, but hung in there," he said.

After that bogey, he reeled off seven successive pars before he found the birdie touch at the 10th, and then rolled in another birdie putt on the 11th and added a further one at the 15th.

The best of all was left to the penultimate hole. The 17th hole, a par five of 571 yards, is one of those he recalls from his television days and, yesterday, he took a three-wood off the tee and was left with a "sort of blind shot" around the dogleg.

With 260 yards to the flag, he used his utility wood to fire the ball to within five feet of the cup. As you do, he rolled in the eagle putt. And that putt has put McDowell "in the mix" for the second week running which, really, is where he believes he belongs.