GULLANE, Scotland – Graeme McDowell has three victories and five missed cuts in his last eight events. He’s aware of that record, knows people are talking about it and intends to change it. At least the missed cut part. He’d gladly add to the victory list this week in the form of a claret jug.
McDowell’s wins came at the RBC Heritage, Volvo World Match Play and the French Open. Missed cuts were at the Masters, The Players, BMW PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Irish Open. In McDowell’s defense, he missed two of those five cuts (Masters, Irish Open) by one shot and another (The Players) by two. He admitted Tuesday at Muirfield that he was “under-golfed” prior to the U.S. Open, which is code for saying he was not properly prepared. He missed the cut by five shots.
“I haven’t fed off my victories maybe the way I needed to in the last few months,” McDowell said. “I think my season has not felt as inconsistent as perhaps it’s read. I felt fairly decent with my game most of the year.”
McDowell is intrigued by the test Muirfield will present this week. He notes that this is the first time he’s seen the historic links, the only course left on the Open rota that he hasn’t played competitively.
“You really can’t play this course from the rough,” he said. “You must keep it in the short grass to have a chance and out of the bunkers. It’s a really, really great golf course. I’m excited about the way things are setting up.”
