GOOD TIMES ROLL
Graeme Mcdowell is back in the winners' circle, inside the world's top 50 and eyeing a spot on Padraig Harrington's Ryder Cup team
top 100. “I know it’s not going to be around forever,” he reflected. Then came victory in Saudi Arabia, his first win on the European Tour for five-and-a-half years. Panic over. Mcdowell is not going anywhere.
“That’s more just the philosophy of my attitude really,” he says of those comments, allaying any fears that he may have lost his competitive edge. “I think the older you get and the longer you’ve been out here, the more you appreciate it. When you’re in your mid-20s, 30s, you’ve got that invincible bulletproof feeling. You think it’s going to go on forever. Then you realise that you shouldn’t take playing good for granted.
“It’s that Drew Brees [NFL record-breaking quarterback] quote where he said he’s trying to treat every season like his last. It’s more just about what that means and the attitude. Work as hard as you can and appreciate what you have and every opportunity. Hopefully there will be a lot of them.”
Paying dividends
On the early evidence, this new philosophy is serving him well. He looks to be his old self. His pre-shot routine looks purposeful once again; he’s in control. In Saudi Arabia, even a ‘bad time’ – a harsh one given he’d taken part in an on-course interview with Sky Sports – didn’t disrupt his march to victory. Mcdowell has always been one for the big occasion. Come the key moments, he’s a player who seems to relish the pressure.
“I think one of the guys asked me earlier in the week if I get out there with a chance to win on Sunday afternoon, will I still remember how to do it,” he said, after claiming European Tour victory number 11. “You’re always worried that stuff goes away. That’s the intangibles. That’s all the X-factors that you can’t practise. You cannot practise what it feels like to kind of try and win a golf tournament coming down the stretch.”
Mcdowell is not the only 40something enjoying a resurgence. He took inspiration from Lee Westwood winning in Abu Dhabi a fortnight beforehand. ‘Westy’ winning has proved to be a lucky omen for G-mac. In 2010, his Ryder Cup teammate took the spoils at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis – and we all know what happened a week later on California’s coast.
The seminal moment
Ah, yes, Pebble Beach. It’s okay to look back occasionally. After winning the US Open, Mcdowell – who was Golf Monthly playing editor at the time – said in his column: “Being a Major Champion is everything I hoped it would be; it’s been a pretty cool experience. The emotions I felt on that 18th green were incredible. Knowing I had achieved what no other European had done since 1970 and also having my dad there on Father’s Day.”
Ten years on – or thereabouts – and those memories bring back a great deal of pride, not just around that Major breakthrough, but that whole period of his career. Two weeks prior to winning the US Open, he had shown the field a clean pair of heels at the Wales Open. A third victory would come later in the season at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, before he upset host Tiger Woods in the American’s own end-of-year exhibition tournament. It was a vintage year was 2010.
“The weekend there [Celtic Manor, Wales Open] is probably as good a 36 holes as I’ve put together in maybe my whole career,” he says, the memories of how high his playing level was at that time still vivid. “I shot seven- or eight-under on Saturday and I think I was six- or seven-under through 11 holes on the Sunday, so for a span of 30 holes I was 14-under-par around a fairly tough golf course.
“I think the older you get and the longer you’ve been out here, the more you appreciate it”
When G-mac won the US Open, it sparked jubilant celebrations at his home club, Rathmore, in Portrush. “He’s one of us,” says former captain, Robbie Doherty…
“When he joined the club, he would have been a wee strip of a lad. It wasn’t until his teenage years that his development really started and he became more recognised within the club. Even as a young teenager, he was playing against some seasoned low-handicappers – and he was winning his matches against them.
“He spent a lot of time with the members after he won the US Open, especially the juniors. We held a big celebration a month or so later and made a presentation to honour his achievement.
“We don’t see him as much as we would like to because he has a lot of responsibilities, but if there’s an event like the Irish Open or even one in mainland UK and he has the chance of coming home, he’ll always call in here. He’s one of us. There are never any airs and graces with him. He’s really very popular, not just within the golf club and Portrush, but further afield.
“He also likes to enjoy a bit of down time with his dad and brothers, but he never turns anyone away. He’ll have a photo and sign autographs and he’s very receptive. “More and more people gather around the club on the weekend when he’s playing in America. Everyone likes to get in and celebrate a victory. We’ve had plenty to celebrate over the years. He likes a pint of Guinness, too, and we always pride ourselves on having the best pint in the area.
“We have great belief in him. We believe there’s another Major Championship in there.”