Ponte Vedre, FL …
Graeme McDowell was delighted to get to the air-conditioned comfort of the clubhouse after dealing with the meltdown conditions in posting a 71.
McDowell grabbed four birdies and one less bogey to be trailing four strokes behind American William McGirt and the early leader at five under par.
G Mac had been one over par early in his round in taking bogey at the 11th or his second hole but picked-up birdies at his fourth, where he holed a nine-footer, and then also at his eighth to turn at one-under par.
Graeme McDowell Not 100% at the races but pleased with an opening 71.
He then played the inward nine in level par with two birdies and two bogeys, and saving the best for last when McDowell landed a 70-yard wedge third shot to just four inches at the dog-leg par five ninth.
“A 71 is a good day’s work considering I didn’t play that fantastic”, he said.
“The breeze was starting to kick-up those last four holes, so looking at the general scoring I think anything under par this morning would seem to be okay.
“I probably should have done better but the pin positions out there today were fairly tough and they seem to be a yard or two closer to the edge of the greens that you are used to seeing them here at Sawgrass.
“I guess that is because the greens are now somewhat flatter and softer, and by that I mean in terms of the undulations, so they were a bit tougher to get at.
“So, like I say I didn’t play all that great but I wasn’t 100% at the races and sometimes you have to deal with that to see if you can put a score in because I would have taken one-under.”
