G-MAC AFTER BIG VICTORY FOR HIS KIDS
MAKING his kids proud is now Graeme Mcdowell’s key motivation as he prepares to tee it up at today’s Irish Open.
The Ulsterman’s confidence has taken a battering after falling to 175th in the world rankings in recent years.
And with the glory of his 2010 US Open triumph at Pebble Beach (inset) a distant memory, Mcdowell admits he is carrying the “scar tissue” of recent setbacks.
So amidst the stuttering form, what lures him back to the coalface? What spurs him on to rekindle the glory days of a career that once had him sitting No.4 in the world? “I have young kids and I’d like them to see me at the top of the game,” he said. “I have that visual of having my kids come out to the 72nd green of a tournament. That’s what I want.
“The desire’s still there but the motivations are different. I want to show my kids that I’m a great player and they don’t have to pull it up on Youtube.
“The legacy I want to leave the game, I don’t want to go out like this. I’d really like another two or three years at the top of the game.”
Mcdowell, who was yesterday reunited with his golf bag (right) which went AWOL en route from the French Open, knows a big week could qualify him for The Open at Carnoustie.
He said: “Carnoustie is a course I really feel like I could get around in an Open set-up and I would dearly love to be there. I do feel I’m playing well enough to compete here this week.
“It’s been a frustrating year but I’m enjoying my golf which is a plus. I’m just looking for that X-factor and to get the old juices flowing again.”