Graeme McDowell is hoping he has turned the corner this season.
Frustration has been the name of the game for Graeme McDowell in 2015.
The 2010 US Open Champion may currently lie 33rd in the world golf rankings, but his lowly 132nd spot on the FedEx Cup standings ia a better reflection on how his season has gone so far.
However, despite suffering early elimination in the World Match Play Championship and managing just a tie for 52nd at The Masters, the Northern Irishman arrived at the Players Championship in a positive state of mind, vowing his game will now start to come together again.
He said: “Augusta was a tough one. It’s always a tough golf course for me. I find it hard to walk away with many positives there, even though I love it as much as I do.
“And the Match Play is never a good reflection of form because, as happened last week, Jordan Spieth had the best score of any player yet he was eliminated in the first round.
“But I’ve been working very hard and I feel technically the light switch has come on.
“Some of the things I’ve been working on are starting to come good and I’ve started to iron out the small problems with my swing.
“I’ve been grinding. I really have. It’s been four or five weeks of grinding for me.
“We always say you’ve got to stick to process, not get obsessed with results. Every now and then you need a little something, though, just to keep you happy.
“I saw it come around the week after the Masters when I had six birdies and only one bogey in the first round of the Heritage.
“I eventually finished 26th but I needed something like that, and I hope some more of that will settle me down.
“And, coming to the Players is where I have some good visuals and good memories for me. I had the lead after three rounds in 2012 although for the final round I’ll switch the visuals off,” he laughed.
“Seriously though, it demands positioning and good ball flight control, and I have been trying to get some good shot patterns bedded in,” states the 35-year-old, who had been troubled with an ankle injury but assures that it is now 100% fit.
“After this we have Wentworth and the BMW PGA Championship followed by the Irish Open, the Scottish and, of course, The Open at St Andrews.
“So I’m hoping my ‘A’ game will be very much in place when I get to these.”
McDowell has taken on extra business interests away from the golf course, with his Nona Blue bar and restaurant in Lake Nona near Orlando, taking pride in the place.
And when the GolfBeer Brewing Co. brewed three beers with input from McDowell, Keegan Bradley and Freddie Jacobson, McDowell added yet another string to his bow!
The beers all had a style that reflected the golfer: G-Mac’s Celtic pale ale, Keegan’s New England lager and Freddie’s Scandinavian blonde ale.
Of course, coming from the land that gave the world Guinness there could only be one winner and McDowell did it hands down or bottoms up!
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