McDowell feels ready to win the Claret Jug

Phil Casey 06:14 16/07/2014
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  • Hoylake his kind of course: McDowell

    Graeme McDowell is desperate to get his hands on the Claret Jug to prove he is not a one-hit wonder, no matter what it costs.

    “I’d give my left arm for the Claret Jug. I would, actually. That would be the end of my career, but it would be a nice way to go,” McDowell joked.

    The 34-year-old from Portrush in Northern Ireland, which is expected to stage the Open in 2019, won the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2010 and was joint second at Olympic Club in 2012 before securing his best Open finish of joint fifth a month later at Royal Lytham.

    He also led after an opening 66 the last time the Open was staged at Hoy­lake in 2006 – before fading to 61st – and goes into the 2014 event buoyed by defending his French Open title at Le Golf National a fortnight ago.

    He said: “I feel like I’m ready to kick on to the next chapter in my career now and compete and win more major championships. I cer­tainly don’t want to be a one-hit won­der and I’ve learned a lot over the last few years since my US Open victory.

    “This is my kind of golf course this week and I want to give myself as many opportunities as I can to win majors. Winning regular tourna­ments is hard enough, winning the majors is something different, some­thing special.

    “I’d love a Claret Jug. Probably that and the green jacket (given to Mas­ters champions) are probably neck and neck, but the Claret Jug is prob­ably the one that I feel like I have the game to win as opposed to the Mas­ters.”

    McDowell said he would not view his career as a failure if he did not win another major, but added: “I guess what I’m saying is I’m more motivat­ed than ever to win major champion­ships.

    "I think I’ve got the experience and belief and knowledge where if I can play my game, I have the tools to then hang around for 72 holes and perhaps get the job done. I feel like I’m more ready than I’ve ever been to win another major.”

    McDowell feels Hoylake is the course on the Open rota which suits his game the best.

    He said: “I like it because you can’t take trouble out of play. St Andrews is an example of a golf course where the big boys can just aim as far left as they want and hammer it and hit it past trouble.

    “I think Lytham forces you into necks. This golf course forces you into little areas. It’s well bunkered, there’s bunkers at 260 and 290 yards where you have to be disciplined off the tee and find fairways and rely on good iron play.” 

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