THIS IS what Graeme McDowell always wanted: to contend in a major. Dreams. On the windswept links of Portrush as a child learning his craft; and in the humidity and stifling heat of Alabama in his student days. Always dreaming of this time.

Now, the time has come. Now, he’s chasing those dreams in the 109th US Open at Bethpage in New York. Yesterday, despite playing in the half of the draw where players were entitled to feel aggrieved, the 29-year-old Ulsterman shot an opening round 69, one under, that pitched him into the heat of the battle.

Now, his job is to hang around, to be there on the back nine of the final round when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

“I’m fascinated by the major challenges, it’s what we measure our games by,” remarked McDowell. “As you keep getting better, you want to compete in these things as much as you possibly can. You’re playing against the best players in the world on the toughest set-ups and I’m intrigued (by it all) . . . I feel like I’m learning as I go along.”

Of course, McDowell has contended in majors before. He was a first round co-leader of the British Open in 2006 – when Tiger Woods won – before fading away to finish tied 61st; and he shot an opening round 71 in the US Open at Winged Foot in 2006 to lie in seventh place after the first round and at the midway stage, before falling back to eventually finished in tied-48th. We’ll see if he has learned from those experiences.

McDowell, the stubble on his chin reflecting the early alarm call to finish his first round yesterday, where he started on the par-three 17th (his eighth hole) by hitting a rescue club to eight feet for birdie, was asked where he was on a scale of one to 10 in terms of coping with contending in majors.

After a period of reflection, McDowell replied: “Five or six out of 10, I’d say. (At) Pinehurst, in my first US Open (in 2005), I was a deer in the headlights and just starting to work hard around these things. I was at two out of 10. Guys like Tiger and Pádraig have learned how to do it and prepare mentally, and there’s no doubt that you’ve got to serve your time and learn how to do it.

“But I’ve led a few majors after day one. It’s not really what you are trying to do, it’s about sticking around for the weekend and I’m trying to position myself as well as I can to compete Sunday afternoon. One of my goals starting out this year was to put myself in contention on the Sunday afternoon of a major.

“I realise there’s no point being up the leaderboard now, but you’re jockeying for position and posting a nice score is not going to hurt as long as I don’t get ahead of myself mentally. I’ve got to stay in the present, keep doing what I’m doing and realise it is going to be a tough slog.”

McDowell won’t get to start his second round until today, unlike first round leader Mike Weir – who posted an opening 64 – who had little more than a half hour turnaround before resuming play.

While McDowell led the Irish challenge, there was a measure of disappointment for Rory McIlroy (72), Darren Clarke (74) and Harrington (76). McIlroy included a double bogey six on the first, his 10th hole, in his round. “I should have taken my medicine and chipped back out to the fairway but I tried to take too much out of it,” he remarked, although he showed his character by including a run of three birdies from the fourth hole.

Harrington has his hands full if he is to make the cut, even if there is the cushion of the USGA’s 10-shot rule. He birdied the 18th hole en route to an opening 76 and, having spent the afternoon working on his putting and short game, remarked: “Who knows how it is going to pan out? I won the (British) Open from the wrong side of the draw last year so I know I can do that. A major is probably the best time if you’re going to get the wrong side of the draw because at least you know it is a long week . . . 72 holes, it is not such a sprint and you can still hang in there.”