Graeme McDowell wins the Andalucia Masters
Recap
A final round 74 was good enough for Graeme McDowell to capture a win at the Andalucia Masters played in Valderrama, Spain this 31 October.
Northern Ireland’s McDowell finished three-under for the tournament which was two strokes ahead of compatriot Gareth Maybin, who finished tied for second with Soren Kjeldsen and Ireland’s Damien McGrane.
Luck of the Irish
The win is McDowell’s third this year on the European Tour and seventh in his career. The first place finish earns him $697,000 in winnings pushing him ever closer to the top spot in the Race to Dubai ranking. McDowell’s victory also pushed him up in the
world golf rankings from 11th to 10th.
McDowell, looking very confident after his win, told reporters, “I am really trying to put the shine on a great season. I didn’t just want to rest on my laurels and just cruise through to Dubai. I have punched a hole in Martin’s lead here and now we go on
to Shanghai, where I really intend to give him a run for his money.”
McDowell congratulated Lee Westwood on becoming number one, saying, “to see Lee Westwood move to number one is great for him after playing so well for the last couple of years and great for European golf.”
McDowell attributed his break-through year to increased self-confidence saying, “I am starting to move into the upper echelons of golf and starting to believe in myself.”
Going into the final three holes McDowell found himself trailing McGrane, who had just holed out from a bunker on the 15th. On the 16th, McGrane blew his one-stroke lead with a double-bogey after driving his ball behind a tree. He then went on to bogey the
remaining two holes allowing McDowell to cruise to the clubhouse with a bogey on the last hole.
McGrane, who was tied for the lead with McDowell after 54 holes, was obviously dismayed with his late round melt-down. He told reporters in his post-round press conference that it “was very disappointing,” adding, “I got fliers out of bad lies that I didn’t
need — but that’s Valderrama for you — when the course bites, it bites hard.”
Martin Kaymer who had an opportunity to capture the number one spot with a top-two finish struggled throughout the week and shot a final round 75 to finish tied for 21st. Sergio Garcia had a better showing this week, finishing tied for 10th in his second
event since his return to competitive golf.
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