Graeme McDowell’s Texas Open final round 66 has seen him edge closer to booking a PGA Championship tee time next month at Bethpage Park.
McDowell, coming off a victory a week earlier in the Corales Puntacana Championship, did bogey the first on the final day but he then proceeded to play the remaining 17 holes in seven-under par.
It was sevens all round for G Mac to eventually finish in a seven-way tie for seventh place for a 12-under par total on the Greg Norman designed TPC San Antonio course.
The effort has seen McDowell jump 18 places and back to the World No. 115th ranked golfer.
Graeme McDowell after his round of 66 on the final day of the Valero Texas Open
A year ago, McDowell was ranked 226th in the world.
McDowell will sit-out this week’s Masters but he’ll head to the RBC Heritage buoyed not only be his victory in the Dominican Republic but knowing that another strong finish could see him move back into the top-100 and thereby a place in the May 17th commencing PGA Championship.
If so, it would leave McDowell to then focus on securing a place in the year’s final major and the 148th Open Championship at his beloved Royal Portrush.
“It is always interesting to start a round with a bogey at the first because and pressure of kind of expectations go out the window, and you just sort of go for it,” he said.
“We had a different wind direction for this last round with the wind coming out of the north, so the golf course played very different.
“Four to five holes on the front nine going out played quite easy while it was tough coming in such as 15, 16 and 18 that played very difficult.
“It was the first day I putted well as I had struggled with the pace of the greens all way as they were a little slower than they appeared but today I was a little fresher on the greens.
“The good thing is that before last week, the last time I had won was two years ago and it was at the end of the year and there was nothing really to kick on with.
“This time I have a big three or four months ahead of me. I have a lot of golf ahead of me and, of course, I am hoping this is going to be a big springboard to bounce forward.
“I am now playing with a big weight off my shoulders that I have been playing with the last couple of years.
“It’s why it was a very strange week in San Antonio for me emotionally. I am a little more spent than I thought I would be and the relief of last week took it’s toll on my more than I thought it was going to this week.
“I was walking around not too sure what to do with myself.
“But I will have this week off. Watch a bit of the Masters and wish I was there and just hit the reset button and go to the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head ready to go and ready to play some good golf.”
And while McDowell’s not into the Masters he will head to Hilton Head a former winner having won the event in 2013 in a play-off over American Webb Simpson.
