Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell hoping to change things for the better at WGC HSBC Championship
Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell and German Martin Kaymer are two of the top ranked players at this week’s WGC HSBC Championship who would be digging hard on the turf to spin out of their swirling form vows. Kaymer is ranked number six on the Official World
Golf Rankings (OWGR) while McDowell after the worst season so far has now dropped to number 15.
Both players are playing at the scenic Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China and have started off their respective rounds on a slightly better note as compared to their previous performances in the season.
Kaymer opened up with rounds of three-under, 69 on the opening day, carding five birdies on a breezy rain swept course. He also dropped two shots on the front nine. After winning the season opener on the European Tour, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship,
Kaymer has not been able to pull another win either on the PGA Tour or the European Tour. Despite of his form vows, he was able to pull in some strong finishes during the season and was successful to certain extent of maintaining his position on the OWGR.
He posted runners up finish at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in February this year and soared to the top of the world ranking for the first time. He posted another runner up finish last month at the Omega European Masters, where he lost to the
rampaging Thomas Bjorn.
McDowell, however, had a lesser share of good luck with him in the year and posted consecutive bad finishes to slide down the rankings. Winner of the 2010 US Open, McDowell also has not won a title in the current year and his last victory came almost a year
ago at the Andalucía Valderrama Masters in 2010.
“Last weekend at Valderrama was probably one of the more embarrassing weekends I’ve ever had in my golf career, and Valderrama can do that to you,” he said. “I threw the towel in a little bit the last 27 holes, and like I say it was embarrassing for me.
This game has beat me up this year, there’s no doubt about it. But trying to get back to believing in myself and enjoying myself a little bit,” he added.
McDowell opened up his account at the WGC HSBC Championship with a reasonable round of three-under, 69 and posted another three-under, 69 on the second day to rise up to joint ninth through the halfway mark. McDowell could have easily soared to the top in
the first round after his brilliant short play where he carded no fewer than eight birdies but a dreadful triple-bogey at par-three, 17th and another bogey at the start of the front nine, demolished all his hopes to lead the round. He has pulled
in five birdies on the second day and has dropped two shots in all.
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