IRISH OPEN:IT'S BEEN like that old story about a bus. You wait an eternity for one, and then a whole load of them come tearing along together. That's what's happened with Irish players on the European Tour this season; and if Graeme McDowell can take credit for starting the trend, with his win in the Ballentines in Korea in March, there is no sense he is satisfied with his lot. He's greedy for more.
Yesterday, at a sun-kissed Adare Manor, McDowell - whose win in the Far East was followed by the victories of Damien McGrane, Darren Clarke and Peter Lawrie in subsequent weeks - got reacquainted with a parkland course which last year played with all the bite of a major set-up.
"I'm a goal-setting kind of guy," confessed the 28-year-old. "I try to be specific with my goals, I think it's important. And I want to get myself back into the world's top-50 and to win multiple tournaments in a season."
And this week's €2.5 million Irish Open, over the Robert Trent Jones Snr-designed course, where Pádraig Harrington beat Bradley Dredge in a play-off a year ago, is, as he puts it, on his win wish list.
"This is the only event we have this year in Ireland. Korea did a lot for my confidence, and winning breeds winning. The amount of confidence you get from winning is massive, there's no substitute for it. A win keeps the frustration away and helps to keep me more patient."
Certainly, McDowell, returning to tour duty after a two-week break, has no shortage of confidence. He is fifth on the European moneylist, holds down a Ryder Cup place - as things stand he would be the seventh player to qualify - and has that determined glint in his eyes. Each time he goes out on the course, he means business.
And making that Ryder Cup team at Valhalla in September is one of his goals, but he insists he is not obsessed with it.
"Put it this way. I'm not going to be teeing up on Thursday morning with the Ryder Cup on my mind. I'm fully aware of the pressure that can stack up come June, July and August. But I feel I've given myself a good enough start where I can stay patient and just take each week as it comes."
McDowell's three wins have come in diverse places. Sweden. Italy. Korea. So, how would he react to a win in the Irish Open?
"I'd agree with Pádraig on that one. If I was to win this week, or win an Irish Open in the future, it would feel very, very special. It was great to see Pádraig do it last year, and hopefully he's broken it open for us. We've never had a field of Irish players assembled like we have this week with a chance to win. So, let's hope for another Irish winner?"
While McDowell has rediscovered the winning habit, a fellow Ulsterman has watched on, intent on learning and, one day, emulating. Rory McIlroy, who turned 19 a fortnight ago, is in his first full season on tour but has yet to claim a top-10. He's made six of 11 cuts, and his best finish was tied-11th in Abu Dhabi in January.
But he does seem very much in control of where he is headed.
"I've tried to pace myself, but I've a busy run coming up. I wanted to be fresh coming into this stretch of events . . . and I'm trying to do my own thing, to control what I can control.
"My own expectations for the year? I want to finish in the top-60 of the Order of Merit. The season is really only starting now with all the big events coming up. I feel I've progressed quite steadily the last three or four months and hopefully I can challenge in a couple of events."
As an amateur, McIlroy went out every tournament expecting to win. He often did. Things are different on the pro circuit, but, still learning, he is determined not to heap expectations onto his own shoulders.
"I expect to do the best I can and to play well, but obviously with the mindset that I would love to win. But there's so many good players out here that work so hard, and it's hard to expect to win all the time."
