Graeme McDowell has defended his lengthy 10-week absence from competition on the opening day of the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.
McDowell, 33 returned to competition for a first time since cruising to a three shot victory in the Tiger Woods hosted World Challenge also in L. A. that concluded on 2nd December.
It’s the first time he has contested the Northern Trust Open since 2009 when he finished mid-field after missing the cut in his only other showings in the event in 2005 and 2006.
Graeme McDowell’s last competitive ahead of this week was in capturing the 2012 World Challenge.
Also making his 2013 season debut in L A is fellow Ryder Cup winning colleague, Luke Donald who last competed in November’s DP World Championship and an absence of some 11 weeks, along with Australia’s Adam Scott who had not played anywhere since capturing the Australian Masters on 18th November and an absence of some three months.
The past three years McDowell has commenced his New Year by competing in the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship that has usually taken place in the second week of January.
It makes McDowell’s 10-week break before teeing-up today on the Riviera Country Club course one of his longest off-season spells away from competition in his 11-year pro career.
“You have to be disciplined enough to do it,” said McDowell.
“I resisted the temptation to turn the TV on the last month to see guys at Kapalua, to see guys at Torrey Pines, to see guys at Phoenix.
“It’s hard especially for the guys playing two tours. You play right up into December and then you’ve got to tee it up in the Middle East. If you play the European Tour, there is no offseason.”
The 2010 US Open winner complained of being inundated with tweets from his followers, wondering why he wasn’t at Abu Dhabi where he finished third last year and in 2011, or any of the West Coast events on the PGA Tour.
“It’s hard to turn down great purses, great sponsors, great courses,” he said.
“But you’ve got to pick and choose if you want career longevity.”
In fairness, McDowell has been busy moving into a new house while he’s been working on getting his Nona Blue bistro/bar ready for its official opening on St. Patrick’s Day.
McDowell, currently ranked No. 19 in the world, could not have picked a better week to return on the course that hosted the 1995 PGA Championship and in a field boasting the strongest field on the PGA Tour this year, with 16 of the top 25 players from the World Rankings.
However reigning Masters champion, Bubba Watson looks headed for an early exit after crashing to near the tail of the field with a five over par 76.
