McDowell begins to build confidence on familiar terrain
Graeme McDowell and his caddie Ken Comboy. Robert Beck/USGA
Graeme McDowell believes he’s turning the corner with his game after breaking 70 for the first time in two months at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.
The world No 61 has missed his last five cuts and eight of his last ten, but he was pleased to take advantage of benign afternoon conditions to open with a two-under 69 at The Renaissance Club, even if he finished the day seven shots behind Lee Westwood, who opened with a nine-under 62 to lead by a shot from Swede Alexander Bjork and the Netherlands’ Joost Luiten.
“The driver misbehaved quite a lot so I am reasonably happy with the score,” McDowell said after hitting just five fairways. “If I can get it in play off the tee there is certainly a score to be had out there.
“I certainly feel like I am turning the corner with my game a little bit and looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow and getting it in play off the tee a little better.”
The 2008 Scottish Open champion admitted he’s been over-analysing his game since the PGA Tour resumed in June.
“It has been getting very technical lately,” he said. “In Winged Foot I was far too technical with my golf swing and I am really trying to clear the head a little bit and play some golf and start trusting my technique a little bit…I am just trying to build that confidence back up again.
“Whether that has been the lack of crowds and intensity or just bad technique, I have no idea. Obviously I have been blaming my golf swing and I am looking very hard at that. But I am just trying to reset and play golf and it is really nice to come to a different environment completely, get out of the States, come over here and get a bit of confidence going at an event I have won in the past on a golf course that is fun to play and some birdies to be had out there. I am just trying to build that confidence back up again.
“I think Dunhill Links was the last time I was in Europe. It’s great to come back. This is the roots of my professional career and so many guys I grew up playing with. I’ve good memories of the Scottish Open in years gone by so it’s always nice to come back.
“I am looking forward to these two weeks. I think they have done a nice job here at Renaissance with the golf course. It has evolved quite a lot since last year and looking forward to getting down to Wentworth. It’s been a few years since I played there and hopefully we can get in for the weekend here, make some birdies and compete and take some confidence down to the BMW PGA next week.”
Ryder Cup skipper Pádraig Harrington had 10 single putts in a level par 71 alongside potential Ryder Cup players Matt Fitzpatrick and Sam Horsfield in the tougher morning conditions before Westwood came out in the afternoon and made two eagles threes and five birdies in a stunning 62.
Lee Westwood. Picture: Getty Images
“We got the good end of the draw, there's no doubt about that,” Westwood (47) admitted. “That's links golf, and you know you're going to be on the wrong side of it often enough, so when you're on the right side of it, you've got to try to make the most of it.”
Meanwhile, 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie (51) revealed that his 620th European Tour appearance at The Renaissance Club will be his last on the circuit.
”My back is not very good, I’ve got a herniated disc and I struggle to practice enough, the Scot said after an opening 73. "To have played 620 events is not a bad innings considering I turned pro with a five handicap and didn’t think I’d play any. I haven’t been a great player, but I’ve been decent and that’s all you can ask for.”
Westwood made the most of the favourable afternoon conditions at The Renaissance Club, equaling the course record, as he now goes in search of a third Rolex Series title.
The 47-year-old claimed his first European Tour win in four years with victory in the 2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player, before earlier this year holding off the chasing pack of Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Victor Perez to claim the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA title.
Sweden’s Alexander Björk and Dutchman Joost Luiten are one shot off the pace at eight-under-par with local favourite Scott Jamieson at seven-under.
Scotsman Craig Lee, who has not played a European Tour event since the 2017 Andalucía Valderrama Masters, is currently tied sixth alongside Englishman Robert Rock and Finland’s Kalle Samooja.
Lee Westwood: “I didn't put myself under too much pressure all day. I played solidly. We got the good end of the draw, there's no doubt about that, in the afternoon lot.
“But you've got to make the most of it when it does happen to you. That's links golf, and you know you're going to be on the wrong side of it often enough, so when you're on the right side of it, you've got to try to make the most of it.
“I played solidly. Drove the ball well. Iron shots were good. In a good groove since the U.S. Open. I took that discipline from there to here today. Aimed away from flags when I needed to. Left myself a lot of nice looks uphill for birdie today.
“Distance control was good, which you know, could have been one of the few things to trip people up today. It wasn't quite going as far as normal. The greens are nice and you feel like if you put a good roll on it, it holds its line. So, yeah, obviously very pleased with the round.”
Alexander Björk: “It was kind of a bit of a weird round. I started like a flyer with five birdies in a row the first six holes, and then I missed a couple of short putts, got out -- got kind of out of it a bit. Then all of a sudden, I made two really long ones and then I was back in. But overall it was a very solid round.
Joost Luiten:
Scott Jamieson: “I looked at the scores when I got to the golf course and realised that it obviously had been really tough in the morning and I think when it's wet and cold like that, the ball just doesn't travel far.
“And then if you're in the rough, it's tough to move to ball far. So for me, very lucky to be on that side of the draw today but there's a long way to go, and we'll see what the weather does.
“I think everyone probably recognised that this week and next week is probably going to define how good a season you have. You could play well the rest of the tournaments, maybe not do particularly well this week and next week, and you don't get to Dubai. But the same could be said the other way, you could not play well in those events and then play great in just one of these weeks, and you may find yourself in Dubai.”
Paul Lawrie: “There are a lot of factors behind the decision, the main one being that I don’t feel I can be competitive week in, week out at this level. My back is not very good, I’ve got a herniated disc and I struggle to practice enough. I’m not able to hit the amount of balls I need. I’m not particularly talented so I lose my game quite quickly.
“To have played 620 events is not a bad innings considering I turned pro (in 1986) with a five handicap and didn’t think I’d play any. I haven’t been a great player, but I’ve been decent and that’s all you can ask for.”
Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick (Par 71),
62 L Westwood (Eng),
63 A Bjork (Swe), J Luiten (Ned),
64 S Jamieson (Sco),
65 R Rock (Eng), C Lee (Sco), K Samooja (Fin),
66 W Ormsby (Aus), M Kinhult (Swe), L Herbert (Aus), M Lee (Aus),
67 I Poulter (Eng), A Sullivan (Eng),
68 S Valimaki (Fin), E Pepperell (Eng), M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), M Southgate (Eng), R Hojgaard (Den), M Pavon (Fra), N Colsaerts (Bel), M Korhonen (Fin), J Lagergren (Swe), H Li (Chn),
69 Graeme McDowell (Nir), C Shinkwin (Eng), T Fleetwood (Eng), M Kawamura (Jpn), B Stone (RSA), C Bezuidenhout (RSA), E Ferguson (Sco), C Wood (Eng), F Zanotti (Par), M Antcliff (Aus), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), D Law (Sco), V Perez (Fra), R Fox (Nzl), P Hanson (Swe),
70 R McEvoy (Eng), B Wiesberger (Aut), A Wu (Chn), C Syme (Sco), D Horsey (Eng), L Bjerregaard (Den), B Hebert (Fra), T Pulkkanen (Fin), M Warren (Sco), M Wallace (Eng), G Green (Mas), A Rai (Eng), S Sharma (Ind), J Suri (USA), J Smith (Eng), J Janewattananond (Tha),
71 G Forrest (Sco), S Hend (Aus), J Campillo (Esp), F Laporta (Ita), A Quiros (Esp), D Burmester (RSA), A Otaegui (Esp), S Norris (RSA), T Pieters (Bel), S Heisele (Ger), Pádraig Harrington (Irl), G Coetzee (RSA), A Johnston (Eng), J Winther (Den), C Hill (Sco), E Van Rooyen (RSA), T Detry (Bel),
72 G Higgo (RSA), J Morrison (Eng), J Stalter (Fra), M Kaymer (Ger), D Howell (Eng), S Kjeldsen (Den), G Migliozzi (Ita), J Catlin (USA), S Brown (Eng), P Larrazábal (Esp), O Fisher (Eng), C Paisley (Eng), N Elvira (Esp), T Aiken (RSA),
73 J Guerrier (Fra), M Campbell (Nzl), A Chesters (Eng), K Broberg (Swe), V Dubuisson (Fra), J Harding (RSA), R Fisher (Eng), P Lawrie (Sco), J Wang (Kor), M Kieffer (Ger), J Hansen (Den), H Porteous (RSA), S Crocker (USA),
74 P Waring (Eng), R Paratore (Ita), R MacIntyre (Sco), R Bland (Eng), G Storm (Eng), R Jacquelin (Fra), D Willett (Eng), E Molinari (Ita), 7
5 J Walters (RSA), N Bertasio (Ita), S Gallacher (Sco), J Scrivener (Aus), P O'Hara (Sco), A Arnaus (Esp),
76 D Drysdale (Sco), S Horsfield (Eng), L Canter (Eng), T Olesen (Den),
77 G Bhullar (Ind), O Wilson (Eng), T Bjorn (Den), L Gagli (Ita),
78 M Jiménez (Esp),
79 R Langasque (Fra),
80 R Ramsay (Sco), A Levy (Fra), N Fenwick (Sco),
81 A Pavan (Ita
