McDowell takes lead at Valderrama

With all the focus on the race for the order of merit between Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey and David Howell, Graeme McDowell slipped in under the radar to post the early clubhouse lead at the Volvo Masters today.

McDowell, the second last player to qualify for the season ending event at Valderrama, set the pace with a four-under-par 67.

The tournament is reserved for the top 60 money-winners on the circuit and with them going out in reverse order for the opening round, McDowell and Simon Wakefield were the first to tee off.

And after finishing their rounds, McDowell had reached four-under par to lead by two, while Wakefield, the 32-year-old making his debut in the event, was two behind and joint second.

McDowell entered 2006 with high hopes of being part of the first Ryder Cup on Irish soil, but after a dreadful early campaign in America never even got close - not even after leading the Open championship at Hoylake on the opening day.

"I was there at the K Club but had a bit of a flat feeling," he said after his bogey-free round. "I wanted to feel what they (the team) were feeling. But it's driving me on. I really don't want to miss the next one and I know I have the game.

"This game kind of ebbs and flows and I feel like I have learnt a lot about scheduling and technical things in my swing."

As for defending champion Paul McGinley, however, he was next-to-last after bogeys at the first, fourth and seventh took him to the turn in a three-over 38 but picked up two shots by the 16th to move to one-over.

However, most interest this week is on the race to win the Harry Vardon trophy for Europe's money leader and that meant a long wait to see if Howell felt fit enough even to start the final event.

Howell, who along with Harrington and Karlsson has a chance to topple Casey from the number one spot, has been suffering from a shoulder problem and rated his hopes of playing at only "50-50 at best".

There was even a possibility that the long-time leader, who needs to finish first or second on Sunday, could withdraw overnight, but he did not and was expected on the practice range at lunchtime to test out his fitness.

Harrington, second in the table after his Dunhill Links win at St Andrews two weeks ago, has to finish in the top three, while Karlsson requires a top two placing like Howell.

It all leaves Casey an odds-on favourite to be crowned king of the circuit for the first time in his career - and this a year after he suffered a nightmare slump and did not make a single halfway cut for three months.