Double French Open winner Graeme McDowell intends spending this weekend at Royal Troon after missing the cut with rounds of 80 and 73 for an 11-over par tally and suggesting sitting out the weekend rounds in France could be a kick in the arse he needed.
McDowell’s opening round was totally out of character and with the Northern Irishman suggesting what was at the heart of a round that included one birdie but six bogeys and two double bogeys.
“I had some stuff on my mind on Thursday that I don’t really want to talk about and I just wasn’t in the right place mentally and it affected my game a lot,” he said.
“It was nothing life-threatening but I wasn’t anywhere where I needed to be and as such I didn’t perform to my full capability.
“Coming hear to France I felt really prepared but as I say, mentally I was in a bad place yesterday.”
Graeme McDowell says he was not in a right place mentally in missing 100th French Open cut.
However McDowell also found it uncomfortable playing the National course that has been deluged in recent months and also has seen major changes that have been introduced into the layout ahead of the 2018 Ryder Cup.
“The golf course is playing much longer than it normally does here and I am not really sure that I could have competed this year,” he said.
“It’s not the Paris National I am used to seeing as I like it a bit firmer and faster. So it was not the course I was looking for.
“This is the first of a five-week block of competition for me and I really do want to compete in two or three so this is not what I wanted but I said that whatever happened this week, I was going to move and be ready for next week.
“So yes, I am disappointed as I never want to shoot a number like that I did on Thursday and I just have to move on given how disappointed I am but then it might be the kick in the arse I needed.”
McDowell will now spend this coming weekend at Royal Troon getting to know the course where he made his Major’s debut in 2004 and despite missing the halfway cut.
Since then McDowell has competed in every Open Championship since with a best finish of 5th in 2012.
