Graeme McDowell knows all too well his goal of qualifying automatically for a fifth straight Ryder Cup later this year hinges on competing this season in all four Majors.

Unfortunately, McDowell has not yet qualified for July’s Open Championship at Royal Troon and where he made his debut in 2004 in golf’s oldest Major.

It is the first occasion McDowell has not been exempt into The Open since 2010 and on the back of earning a five-year exemption in winning earlier that year the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

However, McDowell, who tees-up in Thursday’s starting Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at the K. Club south of Dublin, still has a number of lifelines available to him if he’s to join the field for the July 14th start to the 145th Open Championship.

Graeme McDowell tees off the seventh hole during today’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Pro-Am.

Firstly, a strong showing at this week’s Irish Open would lift the current World No. 68 inside the top-50 and see him qualify given there will be a cut-off point this Sunday night into The Open for anyone inside the top-50 on the rankings.

Secondly, McDowell would gain a three-year Open Championship exemption should he capture next week’s PGA Championship at Wentworth in England but then in an event he’s finished no higher than T13th in 12 appearances.

Also McDowell would qualify if he captured a second U.S. Open title that begins on June 16th at Oakmont outside of Pittsburgh.

And lastly, and what McDowell sees as his best chance of being at Royal Troon, is if he should be in among the leading five PGA Tour members, not exempt in the top-20 on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup points list at the completion of the 2016 Quicken Loans National on June 26th he will qualify.Currently, McDowell is placed 14th on the FedEx Points table but when you remove those already into The Open, he’s lying second.

All in a day’s work – Graeme McDowell delights the class of a local school with a photo during today’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Pro-Am. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

“It’s important that I am there competing in The Open if I am to qualify for the Ryder Cup as the four Majors are where the big points are,” he said.

“That’s going to be my way into the European Team via the World Ranking points.

“I haven’t missed an Open Championship since 2004 whereas my caddie has not missed an Open Championship since about ’93.

“So he doesn’t want to miss it. I don’t want to miss it. I think my other way in is going to be the FedEx points, and unless I can get myself in the Top-50.

Graeme McDowell meets with K. Club owner Dr. Michael Smurfit who afforded McDowell ‘Honorary Membership ‘ of the club. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

“Those are the two ways in for me.

“If I play the way I feel like I can play the next four or five weeks, maybe get myself in the Top-50 anyway.

“So we’ll see as I want to be at Troon. That’s a very key part of the summer and wanting to be there, because I want to play France, Scotland and the British, as well. So I’ll be looking to be there.”

He’s currently lying 14th on the European Ryder Cup points list and declared his determination to qualify automatically rather than have to rely on a ‘Captain’s’ pick.

“I don’t want to be a pick, for sure,” he said.

“But then with so many great young players coming through, looking at Andy Sullivan, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry and Danny Willett the veterans, as such, are not really performing the way they need to be, myself included, Poults (Ian Poulter) and Westy (Lee Westtwood) and Luke (Donald) and guys like that.

“We’ve got our stable of Rory (McIlroy) and (Henrik) Stenson and Justin (Rose) playing well, and a few of us have got to get our act together.

“It’s one of those things that will take care of itself if I can do what I want to do the next few months, and like I say, Hazeltine will hopefully take care of itself.

“But it’s going to be a really highly-contested team, and it’s going to be tough and picks are going to be hard to come by.”

The last time McDowell was at the K. Club a decade ago working for BBC radio as an on-course reporter at the 2006 Ryder Cup.

“It’s a great place to be back, good memories from 2006, and everything, the emotions of that weekend, especially from Darren Clarke,” said McDowell.

McDowell will play the opening two rounds in the company of Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters.