It’s that old golf saying … ‘Horses for courses!’

Just ask Graeme McDowell after yet another frustrating week competing on the Earth Course and host venue for the DP World Tour Championship.

While Ryder Cup winning colleague Henrik Stenson posted a 16-under par tally to retain his title McDowell continued to struggle around the Greg Norman designed layout.

In fact, McDowell failed to break par on any of the four days and overall recorded just 13 birdies for the entire week.

McDowell ended his last European Tour event of the year T47th at two-under par, and it continues a trend for the former US Open champion who was 30th in 2009, 13th in 2010, 11th in 2011, 52nd two years ago and T17th last year.

Graeme McDowell’s Ryder Cup winning partner Victor Dubuisson finds his way out of a bunker on route to a share of second in Dubai whereas McDowell is left ‘blinded by the fog’. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

“It just seems to be the same bad golf every year and even worse this week,” he said.

“Simple as, this golf course just doesn’t like me.  It’s not sour grapes and far from that and while some guys play well around here, I don’t.

“I don’t think I’ve had three three-putts all year and I’ve three three-putts a round on this golf course, and it’s just not my style and it just kind of seeps in through my game and it affects my long game and I start thrashing the ball and trying to do things I shouldn’t.

“So it’s frustrating as there is a big prize at the end of this tournament and the end of our season but I come here to Dubai and just can’t put it all together.

“It just demoralises my and I have to shake that off.”

And when asked to assess his 13th full season in the pro ranks McDowell remarked:  “It’s been another solid season and with just one missed cut and showing a lot of consistency.

“I led the PGA Tour ‘Putting’ stats and there was a lot of good stuff happening this year like successfully defending my French Open title and playing in another winning European Ryder Cup team so I’m heading home for my final two events in a really good place.

“On a personal level it’s a year in which I’ve become a father so that’s been a huge highlight in my life, as well.

“But then you get blinded by the fog of this place so it’s still be a great year and I’m as happy as Larry.”