TOUR NEWS:LAST, BUT certainly not least. Graeme McDowell is the last of the 11 Irish players with full tour cards to hit the road in 2009 when he competes in the Dubai Desert Classic this week – the final event of the European Tour's Gulf swing – where the 29-year-old Ulsterman will be seeking to resume where he left off after a career-best season last year as a tour professional.
With a Ryder Cup appearance, eight top-10s and two wins – in the Ballantines championship in Korea and the Scottish Open – behind him last year, McDowell enjoyed a leisurely winter lay-off but is now facing into a resumption of normal business as he tips his toes in the water, so to speak, in Dubai before basing himself in the United States for much of the early part of the year.
McDowell is one of a very strong Irish contingent in Dubai, where he is joined by Damien McGrane, Rory McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Gareth Maybin (who has received a sponsor’s invite) and Gary Murphy in a tournament which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and which has a top prize of €323,514.
“It’s quite late for me,” admitted McDowell of his delayed return to competitive action. “But with the World Cup (in China) and the Shark Shootout (in Florida), I played later into December than usual. So, this season, I sat down and really looked at my schedule.
“I prefer to have five or six weeks off to clear my head, to put a bit of closure on the year as it were, and to get myself up for the new one.”
That clearing of the head has led McDowell to an early schedule that sees him resume this week in Dubai, before heading over to the west coast of the US for tournaments that will include next month’s Los Angeles Open and the Accenture Matchplay although a number of other events are yet to be confirmed.
“Now that I’m in the world’s top 50, I’ve been able to plan my year better, to become more goal-orientated and to make sure that I am well prepared for the big events. I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and competing. I’m refreshed, rested and eager to get back on tour,” said McDowell.
McDowell needs to look no further than his world ranking as proof of how much his game has improved in the past year. This time last year, he was ranked 110th in the world with no guarantee of getting into any of the majors and outside the loop in terms of the world golf championships.
Now, McDowell – who is 34th in the latest rankings – is assured of teeing up in the Masters in April, the Players in May, the US Open in June, the British Open in July and the US PGA in August as well as the Accenture Matchplay next month, the CA-WGC in Doral in March and the Akron Invitational in August.
While defending champion Tiger Woods won’t be in Dubai as he continues his recuperation from knee surgery, Sergio Garcia – who has not finished outside the top eight in his last seven tournaments, and who finished seventh behind compatriot Alvaro Quiros in Qatar last weekend – heads the field in Dubai.
The world’s number two has closed the gap on Woods in the world rankings to just three percentage points, having trailed Woods by 11 when his injury struck.
Quiros moved from 74th in the world rankings to 28th after his victory in Qatar, a move that will earn him a ticket to the US Masters. The top 50 in the world not already exempt will be invited after the Bay Hill Invitational, the week prior to the Masters.
So far, three Irish players – Pádraig Harrington, McIlroy and McDowell – are exempt for the Masters, while Clarke is currently in 73rd and Maybin in 92nd.
Meanwhile, the Darren Clarke-designed Moyvalley resort in Co Kildare has been selected as the host venue for the Challenge of Ireland tournament on the European Challenge Tour. It will be staged on June 11th-14th. The event has been staged in Glasson for the previous two years.
In announcing the move to Moyvalley, Clarke remarked: “I’m especially delighted with the greens, which are among the best putting surfaces in the country.
“We created gentle slopes which will make players think about where to place their approach shots, especially when the greens are fast or in windy conditions.
“As a Champions Club member, it is our intention to roll out this club as one of the premium clubs in world golf.”
WORLD RANKINGS
1 Tiger Woods (USA) 10.75pts
2 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 7.95
3 Pádraig Harrington (Irl) 6.67
4 Phil Mickelson (USA) 6.67
5 Vijay Singh (Fij) 6.41
6 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 5.08
7 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 4.93
8 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 4.93
9 Anthony Kim (USA) 4.78
10 Camilo Villegas (Col)4.70
OTHERS: 34 Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 2.69.39; Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 2.64; 73 Darren Clarke (NIrl) 1.83; .92 Gareth Maybin (NIrl) 1.49.
