G-Mac back in the swing: Graeme McDowell ready to step up at Hong Kong Open
US Open winner says his game, and his life, have benefited from a break
A year can last a very long time in any game and if you need convincing of that fact consider that around 12 months ago Graeme McDowell was busy handing out a lesson during the Ryder Cup to a talented youngster named Jordan Spieth who had suddenly started to look a little out of his depth among the big boys of the game.
On the final day at Gleneagles, McDowell had turned for home three down and looking out, but he regrouped and he rallied, and he ended the round with a 2&1 victory over Spieth that set the Europeans on a course to retain their title.
The young Texan looked like he didn’t know quite what hit him.
These days though Speith is the world number one after a season, which has seen him claim two majors, while the Northern Irishman who did all the damage back then has been through a self-imposed, two-month break from the game, and is once again finding his focus.
This year it has been quite difficult for me with so many things going on in my life, getting married and having my first baby in the last couple of years
Before he heads to town for the US$2 million UBS Hong Kong Open, the 36-year-old McDowell reveals he had faced the sorts of pressures that can come down on us all.
