For several years now, Graeme McDowell has been one of the most consistent golfers on the planet. Since the middle of 2010, McDowell has been a mainstay in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. He even rose to number four at one point.
Can Graeme McDowell find some Ryder Cup form for Team Europe?
The last time the Ryder Cup was in Europe, it was Graeme McDowell who clinched the cup in the final match of the week. He was a hero then, but returns for the 2014 edition without his best game and probably with a new partner.
There are a number of reasons those of us in the states are familiar with G-Mac, but it mainly stems from that 2010 season. McDowell captured his fifth European Tour title at the Celtic Manor Wales Open and then shortly after, he headed to the United States for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
A relative unknown in the States, McDowell went on to win the U.S. Open, holding off challenges from Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson. McDowell became the first major champion from Northern Ireland and the first European U.S. Open Champion in 40 years. G-Mac also secured a PGA Tour card and moved to the United States shortly after to compete on the Tour full time.
Rumor has it that almost immediately after his U.S. Open triumph, McDowell called Rory McIlroy to talk about a potential partnership at the Ryder Cup. It was clear that McDowell was excited and focused on getting revenge at Celtic Manor. Two years earlier, the European side was steamrolled by the United States, losing 16 ½ to 11 ½ at Valhalla.
McDowell made his second Ryder Cup appearance in the fall of 2010 and compiled a 1-1-1 record during the first two days of competition. Heading to the final session, it was a dead heat and McDowell matched up against Hunter Mahan in the 12th and final singles match.
Keeping with the theme of the entire 2010 Ryder Cup, the match was close. But on the 16th hole, McDowell added yet another memorable moment to an already memorable season. With thousands of European fans looking on, the Ulsterman holed a huge birdie putt to extend his lead to 2-up with two holes to play. After a duffed chip shot by Hunter Mahan on 17 and smart conservative play by McDowell, the Ryder Cup returned to Europe and G-Mac was hailed as a winning hero.
Not a bad year.
What can we expect at this year’s Ryder Cup from McDowell? Well, for one thing, it doesn’t look like he will be teaming up with Rory McIlroy again. The Rory issue apparently has more to do with his play on the golf course and less to do with the lawsuit pending between the two of them, which Phil Mickelson took a nice little shot at during his pre-Cup press conference. So we probably won’t see the Northern Irish duo, who has played together so much over the past five years, team up at Gleneagles.
In addition to that off-the-course business, McDowell hasn’t had a particularly strong year. He finished the FedEx Cup with three underwhelming results. So why has G-Mac struggled of late? He may have been rightly preoccupied with the birth of his first daughter at the end of August.
As things have settled down and McDowell has likely recharged his batteries (he hasn’t played since September 9), I think it’s safe to say we will see a strong showing this week at Gleneagles. This is a guy, after all, that has won five career Ryder Cup matches and will be playing in his fourth consecutive Cup.
Because of his extensive experience, look for McDowell to play with newcomers Victor Dubuisson or Stephen Gallacher. He’s outwardly campaigned for the opportunity to be a mentoring figure to the quiet and mercurial Frenchman, Dubuisson.
Age: 35
World ranking: 18
Ryder Cup record (Win-Loss-Halve): 5-5-2
Past Ryder Cup appearance: 2008, 2010, 2012
How he qualified: Automatic spot - 9th on World Points List with 171.82 points.
