GOLF:NOT QUITE yesterday's man. But now, as someone who again wants a Major rather someone holding one, Graeme McDowell savoured the wind which caused the flags to tug noisily at their posts above the 18th green grandstand here at Sandwich yesterday.
Refreshed, almost, by its vigour; and more than a little pleased the wind had made an appearance ahead of the season’s third Major.
“I think a lot of guys woke up this morning and thought, ‘this is a test out here’. It is not pleasant . . . It is tough, really tough. And, to be honest, it is great to get that reality test out there and realise that you are dealing with a potential sleeping giant. That’s what this golf course is,” said McDowell.
Ah, a sleeping giant. For someone brought up on the Causeway Coast, with its four-seasons-in-one-day of weather, McDowell is not one to hide should the wind accentuate the challenge as he seeks to sneak in to this 140th British Open with the spotlight on another Ulsterman called Rory and with two Englishmen named Luke and Lee occupying one and two in the world rankings.
“It is nice to be flying under the radar and quietly going about my preparation. I’m just feeling very fresh,” remarked McDowell.
That freshness has been absent from his game in the four Majors which followed his breakthrough Major win in last year’s US Open at Pebble Beach, the high point of a stellar season.
With a rub of his hand to the growth of stubble that is becoming a beard, McDowell added: “Everything I touched in 2010 turned to gold, but my game this year has not gone quite as well. But I feel in good shape. The game’s given me a few kicks at the minute, like 53 decent holes in Scotland and two wayward swings on the 12th (in Sunday’s final round, where he took a nine on the par five).
“I’m quietly very happy and I am trying to stay patient and I know you have to take the rough with the smooth. Last year was smooth. This year’s been up and down, but I am grafting away and I am working hard,” he said.
It’s not as if it has been all bad for G-Mac, just that he hasn’t quite finished the job on those times he got his nose in front. In the Players Championship, he led going into the final round only to implode with a 79 that saw him drop like a stone to tied-33rd. In his defence of the Wales Open title, the damage was done with a third-round 81. And, again as leader, he ran up a closing 74 that saw him drop to 42nd.
If you suspect a fragile or brittle mind, forget it. McDowell may be finding that life is like a rollercoaster, but that deep inner belief in his ability remains strong. He is an admitted grinder.
“There is no doubt that you want to be a battler and you want to be a grinder, and it would be nice to have the talent of a Rory. Not everyone can have that, but you can certainly teach yourself how to be a scrambler and a grinder and a fighter really.”
He added: “It is nice to be coming into a major championship feeling as fresh as I do right now. It is nice to get the US Open out of the way. There was a big build-up to it, and a lot of reflecting. I felt great at Congressional, and played really well, hit it well, and I felt good again in Scotland last week. I am just excited where I am going.”
Battle-hardened but refreshed, McDowell is looking forward to the challenge this week. Especially with the contrast in conditions yesterday compared to Monday, when it was flat calm. Players who know the nuances of links golf want the wind to blow.
“I played the course, 14 holes (on Monday), and it was the most beautiful weather you could ever imagine. You feel ‘that could be a bit of a waste of time’, because you throw a 20 mile per hour wind across it and it is a different kettle of fish.
“So, it was great to see it like that today: the 13th and 15th holes played particularly tough and the 18th, with that crosswind. I want at least a 10-15 mile per hour wind every day to separate the wheat from the chaff a little bit. When you have this sort of wind, you have got to flight it properly and control the ball.
“What I love most about links golf is that your practice round can be thrown out the window with a different wind direction. You have got to be smart. You have got to have done your preparation and you have got to know what to do when the wind goes the other direction. It is going to confuse a few boys.”
Of the Majors, the British Open can throw players a bit of luck in the draw. As McDowell observed: “Because of the diversity in tee-times, from half-six in the morning to half-four in the evening, the weather can play a massive factor and have a big bearing on the scoring. And, obviously, fingers crossed you get on the right side of the draw.
“But you just have to go and deal with it and see what the course gives you.”
