Graeme McDowell swabs the dust off - plays Austrian Open 2010 with a 69
As far as the lethargy of Graeme McDowell is concerned, it seemed as if it had taken its toll on him. His month long lay-off gave the idea that McDowell might have decided to stay in the weariness for a while but his current performance however tells yet
another story.
McDowell, at last, swabbed the sleep from his eyes and dealt with the business at hand as he turned his game around right before our eyes with a lead of one night. He attained the 4 strokes lead at the opening round of the 2010 Austrian Open, which has a
purse of 750,000 Euros.
Other than the all favorite McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez also appeared at the all-star field. Jimenez is the US Open Championship winner and also one of the members of the Ryder Cup team. He is one of those names in golf that have the ‘gleam’ and are standing
out this season.
The 31-year-old McDowell, this week, is focusing on just one thing, that is to get the dust settled and remove the rust. After his long lay-off, he is currently focusing on removing all the tarnish from his game and will probably be spending the next week
with his coach who would help him fine tune his game for the Celtic Manor.
McDowell’s return wasn’t that much expected, given the break he took and the performance he had displayed in the earlier holes. He could only manage some bogeys taking him far away from the competitive environment while rocking his boat to the maximum level.
The 31-year-old returned to the action and steadied his ship during the latter half of his game by playing 5 birdies and refraining from any dropped shots on the back nine.
The golfer holding a major in his hands had Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano as his partner to play alongside, who managed a 68. At his first four holes, Coetzee got a birdie on Thursday and attained a 1 shot lead at the Austrian Open. Overall, the thirty one
year old had 8 birdies and a bogey with a 65 at 7 under par. He was standing with a 4 under after his first 4 holes and at the 16th, he added a birdie before the slip at hole number 18. He reached 7 under with birdies appearing in the span of 4-7.
Meanwhile, a tie is seen at the second place with Jose Manuel Lara and Terry Pilkadaris at 66. Both these players are standing at a 6 under with Damien McGrane at the fourth place holding 67 currently. McDowell had a slow start but managed five back-nine
birdies and played a 69 with three under.
According to McDowell, his third hole blunder could have been worse. He said that his awful tee shot wouldn’t have been so wonderful provided the great five he made after his ball landed in the middle of a bush. He added that the beginning of his game was
absolutely unacceptable with the swings on the 3rd hole that led him into thinking that this probably wasn’t his day at all. McDowell’s strong will was tested in this situation but he ended up collecting a few good birdies with his first-rate putting
abilities.
On the other hand, the Spaniard Jimenez, who unlike McDowell had a good start with the birdies, ended up with a double bogey at the 17th hole. McDowell and Jimenez both will be appearing next at the Ryder Cup from 1st of October till
the 3rd. The game will be held against the US holders in Wales.
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