BULLISH G-MAC GOING FOR A DOUBLE
NINETEEN summers after he won amateur events at Lahinch and Royal Portrush, a rejuvenated Graeme McDowell will tread the same sacred turf over the next three weeks believing he can match those feats at the Irish Open and the Open. ‘I do believe I’m playing well enough to win both tournaments, it’s as simple as that,’ said the 39-year-old Northern Irishman, in a clear illustration of his renewed confidence following three years in the wilderness. McDowell, who hails from Portrush, earned his spot in the Open with a wonderful performance at the Canadian Open last month, and followed it with a tied 16th finish in the US Open at Pebble Beach. ‘As the last winner of the US Open at Pebble, I felt like that was a great dry run for these two weeks in the spotlight, and I coped well with the pressure,’ said McDowell, who can draw upon another happy omen — in 2010, he won the Wales Open a fortnight before his major victory. First up today is the Irish Open and G-Mac confessed he remembered little about the wondrous, quirky links here, featuring a par three on which you can’t see the green from the tee. ‘My memories are better for what happened off the course in the town rather than on it,’ he said, smiling. Tournament host Paul McGinley acknowledged that the absence of Rory McIlroy was a ‘huge body blow’, but with fine weather forecast, sell-out crowds and the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Wallace, Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm in attendance, this should prove a worthy warm-up for the Open. ‘I think anyone who is serious about winning the Open ought to be playing competitive links golf in the build-up,’ warned Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, who did just that on his way to winning two Claret Jugs. ‘This is perfect in that regard.’