GOLF:GRAEME McDOWELL checked in at Royal Birkdale yesterday; and, as he stood by the 18th green, the grandstands behind him virtually empty and a cool wind whipping across the fairway, you could almost sense the reality check.
A day on from the biggest win - so far - of his career, the newest Scottish Open champion was already back at work, his mind adjusting slowly from the euphoria of a win by the banks of Loch Lomond that enabled him to tick off so many boxes on his list of goals: a multiple winner in the season, a place on Europe's Ryder Cup team . . . and, now left with an empty box beside his major ambitions, could he possibly dream of delivering the big one?
This is McDowell's first major appearance of the season (he didn't qualify for either the Masters or the US Open), but the timing could hardly be better. Quite simply, he is in the form of his life.
The 28-year-old Ulsterman's win in the Scottish Open all but confirmed his ticket to Valhalla for the Ryder Cup and even allows him to move in on claiming the European Tour order of merit title, as he is currently second behind Miguel Angel Jimenez on the money list.
He has also achieved a goal of moving back into the world's top-50, this latest win propelling him to a career-high 29th in the official world rankings.
More importantly, though, given the week that's in it, the victory - his second of the season, coming on top of the Ballantines championship in March, and the fourth of his career - has allowed McDowell to arrive here on England's north-west coastline with a belief that anything is possible in this game.
After all, he took the gamble of changing his coach, golf equipment (clubs and balls) and management company inside the past eight months in an attempt to move his career forward. And, each time, he has struck gold.
"I think I am going to have to sit back and take stock . . . the order of merit is certainly something I'd like to have a run at, and starting off by putting in a big performance this week would be a step in the right direction.
"But there is a little bit of re-focusing to be done. I am definitely a goal-driven kind of guy and, when you achieve goals, you have got to reset them again."
On Sunday evening, McDowell allowed himself a small celebration, albeit in a golfing environment: his manager Conor Ridge, of the Dublin-based Horizon sports agency, assumed the role of chauffeur and drove him to the wedding reception in Preston of the caddie Phil "Wobbly" Morbey, the bagman to Darren Clarke.
"I'm still buzzing, it's been a bit of a whirlwind . . . but I have to get the head screwed on for this week," said McDowell, adding: "Once I get back out there again, it will be back to business.
"My momentum is absolutely massive. I've been in the mix for the past two or three weeks and I am really happy with the things I'm doing.
"I've been hitting great shots under pressure, which is always great for your confidence. There's no substitute for the confidence you get from winning."
In the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, McDowell shot a first round 66 to assume the lead. But the fragile nature of his game back then was reflected in a Jekyll and Hyde performance that ultimately saw him finish tied-61st and walk away from Merseyside an exhausted man.
Then, later in the year when his role at the Ryder Cup at The K Club was confined to being part of the media circus, it set in train a sequence of change that has seen him revitalise.
Of that media role at the Ryder Cup where he had badly wanted to be part of the team, McDowell remarked: "I did BBC (radio) on the course during the day and RTÉ (television) highlights at night, 13 hours a day watching the stuff just to rub salt in the wounds.
"It was my first ever Ryder Cup as well. I remember standing there on the 16th green on the Sunday afternoon when Darren won, the celebrations going on, and I felt a bit flat. I thought to myself I wanted to feel what these guys are feeling . . . they are my peers, my colleagues, guys I play against every week and I know I have the game to be on the team. And that was when the alarm bells really started ringing. That was the turning point.
"You are always apprehensive when you make big changes. There is no doubt about that. There is the fear of the unknown and all you can do is go with your gut feeling."
From that down period, McDowell has returned a better and stronger player, and looking forward to the challenge ahead this week. "Of the four majors, this is the one I feel I have the game to win at the minute. The weather is a big element this week. But the short game always comes back very quickly. It is something I grew up with all my life at Portrush, the old schooling I had there. I am looking forward to seeing what is going on. I love the course."
In fact, McDowell undertook a reconnaissance trip to Birkdale just over a month ago and has returned with a good vibe of the place.
He remarked, "I went through a great spell of playing links golf. I played Waterville, Ballybunion, Portrush and then came here. It was a good week's links golf at Waterville and it blew me away . . . and then this place blew me away as well.
"I really, really liked it. There are some good-looking tee shots that really suit my eye, and there is an emphasis on driving the ball that suits my game.
"Hitting the fairway is key here. I just liked it. I thought it was a fair track. It punishes you if you miss in the wrong places and it is a good solid test."
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