McDowell's second may prove good launch pad

GOLF:Sometimes, winning isn't everything; even for a professional golfer. And, in time, Graeme McDowell - who has rededicated himself to the PGA European Tour - may reflect on his runners-up finish to Markus Brier in the China Open as a significant turning point in pursuit of a place in the world's top-50, something that had seemed as attainable as reaching Mars for much of a miserable season in 2006.

Although McDowell has a home-from-home in Orlando, Florida, his decision to return to Europe with just the occasional foray onto the PGA Tour could prove his salvation.

"I need to get things moving again up the world rankings, because being outside the top-100 is not my idea of progress. In fact, I won't be happy until I am well established inside the top-50," said McDowell, who continues his Chinese odyssey this week by playing in the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai.

McDowell is one of four Irish players in the field, along with Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane and Gary Murphy. The tournament has also attracted South African pair Retief Goosen and Ernie Els and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie.

For McDowell, who secured his second-place finish to Brier after a five-week break in Orlando, during which his only competitive action came in the Tavistock Cup, such a quick return to contention bodes well for the weeks ahead which feature an aggressive run-up to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth that also takes in the Irish Open at Adare Manor.

Already, the 27-year-old from Portrush has surpassed his best performance of 2006, which came with a fourth-placed finish in the Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe in Germany, a finish that ultimately helped him finish in 58th on the European Tour money list. However, most of 2006 proved to be extremely frustrating for McDowell, who had tournament scheduling issues in the US early in the year.

The decision to return to his roots, so to speak, and base himself on the European Tour - where he is a two-time winner, in the Scandinavian Masters (2002) and the Italian Open (2004) - should enable McDowell to once again move up the world rankings, which nowadays are an important criteria in securing invites to play in the majors and the world golf championship events.

McDowell had slipped to 139th in the official world rankings, prior to his second place in the China Open. That runner-up spot should, when the rankings are released today after the delayed finish to the Heritage, move him back into the top-125 and in the right direction in terms of his stated aim of getting into the world's top-50.

While the Irish quartet of McDowell, McGrane, Lawrie and Murphy are in action in Shanghai, starting on Thursday, Paul McGinley has delayed his return to the circuit until next week's Spanish Open in Madrid where he will be joined by Darren Clarke.

McGinley, who has slipped out of the world's top-100, a stark contrast to a year ago when he occupied 31st position in the rankings, has decided on an intensive stint in Europe over the coming weeks that will start with the Spanish Open and will also take in the Italian Open, the Andalucia Open, the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship as he, like McDowell, attempts to move back up the rankings.

After his missed cut at the US Masters, Clarke returned to the Caribbean for a family holiday but his intention is to return to action at next week's Spanish Open for a run that will see him play five straight weeks also taking in the Wachovia Championship and the Players Championship on the US Tour before returning home for the Irish Open and the BMW at Wentworth.

Meanwhile, the four clubs who have earned pro-am spots in next month's Irish Open at Adare Manor are: Mountbellew (Connacht), Powerscourt (Leinster), Charleville (Munster) and Ringadufferin (Ulster). Jan Dinsdale, a member of the Ringadufferin team, is a former US Open blind golf champion and is hoping her appearance will increase the awareness of blind golf throughout Ireland. She is vice-president of the International Blind Gold Association and finished fourth in the ladies' World Blind Golf Championships in Japan last year.

European Order of Merit

Irish positions

9 P Harrington €476,909

36 G McDowell €207,867

79 D McGrane €88,339

89 P Lawrie 75,462

108 D Clarke 64,092

116 P McGinley 57,757

169 G Murphy 28,262

249 D Higgins 4,550