INTERVIEW GRAEME MCDOWELL:GRAEME McDOWELL left his plush five-star hotel on the seafront in Cannery Row on Monday with the US Open trophy tucked under his arms – firstly saying his goodbyes to the staff in Peet's Coffee and Tea house with its John Steinbeck novels lining the shelves and where he had whiled away his mornings over the greatest weekend of his golfing life – to embark on a new journey of discovery, one where he will have to find new boxes to tick in a career that has suddenly delivered so much and so quickly.
Yesterday, G-Mac fulfilled yet more media engagements in the United States as he got acquainted with his elevated status as not just a major winner but that of being the US Open champion and, some time this afternoon, the 30-year-old Ulsterman will finally touch down on home soil as he flies into Belfast en route to his roots in Portrush where, you figure, the party of all parties will be celebrated before he resumes tournament play ahead of next month’s British Open at St Andrews.
McDowell had intended to play in next week’s French Open but, on the back of his win at Pebble Beach which elevated him to 13th in the world rankings and guaranteed his place on the Ryder Cup team for Celtic Manor in October, the player and his management are reconsidering whether to play in Paris.
Instead, his next outing could well be in the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am at Adare Manor – on Monday and Tuesday fortnight – before moving on to the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, followed by the British Open.
McDowell will play at this year’s 3 Irish Open, when the tournament returns to Killarney Golf and Fishing Club from July 29th to August 1st.
Yet, being tugged from Billy to Jack with all of the international media demands is a good thing for McDowell, for it is proof positive that he has taken a hugely significant step in his career path. And it is one that has only come about after making some very tough decisions, which involved switching management companies to Horizon Sports Management – although he still retains an extremely good relationship with Chubby Chandler’s ISM agency – and golf clubs (to Callaway) and swing coach (to Pete Cowan).
“I’ve always been pretty good at making calculated decisions and sticking to them. I don’t take big decisions lightly. I am not a reaction guy. I am very much a calculated, analytical person. I always have been and when I do make decisions I am very single minded and I go with them,” said McDowell, who has surrounded himself with a strong team which has been instrumental in ensuring an elevated career path.
McDowell also learned some hard lessons along the way which he put to good use down the stretch at Pebble Beach in Sunday’s final round.
“This game, when you are in the wilderness, can be a bleak and dark place. The tough times are tough. The game gives you no love back. When you want love, it doesn’t give you it. When you hope something is going to happen, it never happens. The second you start believing in yourself and you let it happen, it is amazing what’s around the corner.
“I keep saying the win in the Wales Open (two weeks ago) was very significant because it was a different win. It felt different. It didn’t feel like Scotland. It didn’t feel like Sweden. It didn’t feel like Italy, or Korea. It felt very right and if felt, ‘right, let’s go’. It felt like it kick-started my summer but I didn’t know what was around the corner.
“This is beyond my wildest expectations.
“Did I think I was going to win a major championship? No. But it felt like I was on the verge of a big summer . . . I’m a motivated guy, a driven guy, and I have people around me that drive me towards my goals. I knew if I had a chance to contend that I was going to be ready. I wish I could bottle up the way I felt.”
In fact, McDowell revealed he had started to work with sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella just over a month ago.
“I saw him on Tuesday and he wanted to know did I want to do some work and I said, ‘Bob, I’m in such a good place right now there is no point even talking about it. I’m in a really relaxed, quiet, confident place . . . I just want to keep that feeling’, and he respected my decision to the point of view that there was nothing he could add to the equation. I’ve always been a fan of sports psychology, the work I did with Karl Morris over the years, the books I’ve read . . . when I put myself into position, I am pretty good. I don’t know why, I just have that peace of mind. I always think I have been good at closing out wins, from my college days.”
McDowell also admitted he had taken inspiration from the feats of others as he sought to finish the job. He thought of Zach Johnson, Trevor Immelman, YE Yang – all of whom won their first majors in recent seasons – and he also sought inspiration from what Pádraig Harrington had achieved in recent years.
“We’re playing golf in the Tiger Woods era. Tiger Woods appeared to be superhuman 10 years ago when he was doing what he was doing. He appeared superhuman. But when you see, I don’t want to call Pádraig Harrington an average guy, but when you see guys you play golf with every day and you compete with every week and I’ve played with in the last rounds of tournaments and you know that he is just a golfer who bleeds and breaths and plays the same golf ball and has to get it in the hole, it gives you the belief that it is possible, that it doesn’t take a superhuman effort like Tiger Woods to win a major.”
How true.
