Graeme McDowell promises free beers to PGA Tour media, better Christmas gifts and all thanks to the inspiration he continues to glean from World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
McDowell became the fifth member of the victorious Ryder Cup team to win since the Miracle of Medinah in ending a two-year winless drought to capture the Tiger Woods hosted World Challenge in suburban L.A.
Graeme McDowell promises free beers to the media, better Christmas gifts for friends and family and all thanks to Rory McIlroy. (Photo – www.golffille.ie)
The new World No. 14 joins Peter Hanson (BMW Masters), Ian Poulter (WGC – HSBC Champions), Rory McIlroy (DP World Tour Championship, Dubai) and Martin Kaymer (Nedbank Golf Challenge) in savouring individual success after Europe’s stunning tean triumph some two months ago.
The 33-year old McDowell will not start his new season when he returns back to L. A. for the February 14th starting Northern Trust Open.
And while McDowell has an extra $1.2m to spend on his new abode and Nona Blue Tavern, he’ll be content soaking up the inspiration from McIlroy, and as long as the Portrush man can stay out of the limelight.
“I always talked a couple of years ago about Rory being my little radar blocker,” said McDowell.
“Let him take all the press and accolades and I can just slip under the radar.
“When I was doing that when I won the U. S. Open. I got thrust back into the limelight a little bit for the year and a half after that.
“But what he’s doing, you know, it’s tough not to be inspired by that. I’m not quite sure if I’ve got that type of game inside me that he’s playing right now because he’s on another stratosphere from everyone else right now.
“So he certainly inspires me to see how good someone can be and how focused someone can be.
“Of course, I’ve pretty much kind of come to terms with the fact I’ll not be able to hit 350 yards through the air any time soon. But like I say, he’s overly impressive.
“I’ve just gotta beat the golf course with other things, wedge play and putting and short game.
“I’ve been envious of what he’s achieved the last four or five months. I’m sure every player on the planet is. But it’s just like motivated me, showed me what’s possible.
“I’m proud of what he’s achieved, just proud to call him a friend, and I’ve seen his career develop the last four or five years.
“He’s awesome. I can never really be too envious because he’s got a game with which I’m not really familiar and I’ve gotta go about things a different way from him. But that’s cool. I’m cool with that.
“However I’d love to see Rory down the stretch somewhere, some Sunday afternoon. Hopefully it’s in California. That’s all I can say.”
And while McDowell joked that any PGA Tour accredited journalist would be welcome to free beers at his Lake Nona tavern, the World Challenge prize cheque will ensure both his and his fiancée’s family get some super Christmas gifts.
“Let’s just say the house has been quite the draw on my resources the last couple of years, and I’m looking forward to definitely throwing a little bit of this purse into finishing the house,” he said.
“And you never know the Christmas presents might get a little nicer though they were going to nice anyway.
“This house has kind of been the present to myself. It’s the house I’ve always dreamt of building and Christmas kind of helped me do that the last couple of years and very proud of it and that’s kind of been the present to myself the last couple years.
“But you never know as maybe there might be an extra Christmas present in there.”
