European TourBrian KeoghSaudi International, Graeme McDowell, Victor Dubuisson, Gavin Green, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson

McDowell blooms in desert with two-shot Saudi International win

European TourBrian KeoghSaudi International, Graeme McDowell, Victor Dubuisson, Gavin Green, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson
McDowell blooms in desert with two-shot Saudi International win
Graeme McDowell. Picture: Getty Images

Graeme McDowell. Picture: Getty Images

Graeme McDowell surged back into the world’s top 50 and the Ryder Cup reckoning when closed with a gutsy level par 70 to win the Saudi International by two shots from Dustin Johnson on 12-under par.

The 40-year old from Portrush had not won on the European Tour since 2014, but he showed all his trademark fighting qualities in blustery conditions to claim his 16th worldwide win, his 11th on the European Tour and a cheque for US$583,330.

He is projected to leap from 104th to around 46th in the world, opening to the door to all the World Golf Championships and the Majors.

“It’s special,” he said. “I’ve been working hard the last year and a half. I said I wanted to be back up there one more time just to be out playing against these guys. The game of golf is in such great shape with so many great players in the world. It’s so exciting to be a top player in the world and I want to be back up there again. 

“I’ve got young kids at home and I want them to see me out there. I want to show them that Dad can do it and I don’t want to have to pull up the YouTube videos. It’s special to be back. I am really happy with the direction I am moving with my game.

“It’s massive to have weeks like this. I am really relieved to get that job done. Coming down the fairway, it was not sexy going down 18, trying your best to work out how to make seven when you need six to win. That’s just the way human instinct is. Relieved to get the job done and obviously very happy.”

This win can only help his chances of making a fifth Ryder Cup appearance, moving to seventh in the European World Points list and inside the top-five who qualify automatically.

Making the team again is now a realistic proposition now for a player who was a vice-captain in 2016 and one of Pádraig Harrington’s preferred candidates for an assistant’s role at Whistling Straits in September.

One clear of his 2014 Ryder Cup partner Victor Dubuisson overnight following a remarkable third round 66, he was tied for the lead with the Frenchman after turning in one-over par but found himself two shots clear of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson just 20 minutes later and went on to close out victory in impressive fashion.

The French star bogeyed the 10th and double-bogeyed the par-three 11th, missing a two footer for bogey after short-siding himself in a bunker.

But while McDowell would bogey the 13th, missing from six feet for par, he crucially birdied the 14th and 15th to move three clear and parred his way home.

After a six-iron to 25 feet left him an uphill putt at the 14th, he rammed it home to lead by two shots from clubhouse leader Thomas Pieters, who shot 65, and by three from Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Gavin Green on 11-under.

It got even better at the 15th, where he again missed the fairway but rifled his seven-iron approach to just three feet and rolled in the putt to extend his lead to three shots with three holes to go.

He then two-putted for solid pars at the 16th and 17th to remain three clear before Johnson eagled the last to reduce his lead to two by closing with an eagle three for a final round 67.

McDowell found the 18th fairway—he would hit just six of 14 on the final day—and fired his 226-yard approach into a greenside bunker.

He could afford to make bogey and win but barely got the ball out of the sand and was fortunate that did not roll back into the bunker.

He now had to get down in three for victory and opted for the putter, rolling his third down to six feet before holing out for par and victory.

“14 and 15 have fitted my eye quite well this week,” he said of those crucial, back to back birdies. “My iron play wasn’t in tiptop shape this week, especially those back into the wind shots. But for some reason on 14, I stood up there and hit one of my best iron shots of the day — a six-iron there.

“The 14th green was the first time I had a look at what the position was and what was going on. I saw Pieters was in the clubhouse at nine (under) and I just had that little extra focus on that putt on 14 and drilled it right in the middle.

“15 was nice. I was in that right semi which took a bit of spin off the ball. So it was a huge bonus to birdie 15 and that really took the pressure off coming down the stretch.”

Reminded that he was ranked 262nd in the world just 12 months ago but won the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship last March to move up to 133rd by rededicating himself to practice with new coach, Kevin Kirk, he had hold back tears.

“You are going to make me cry,” he told Sky Sports. “I am excited. A big goal this year was to get back into the top 50. It has come a lot sooner than I expected. I am just so excited about the year.

“I was hoping I was going to have a big season. Fourth in Hawaii a few weeks ago really got me off and running. I missed the cut in Dubai last week but I knew I played well.

“It’s funny, sometimes you see a course and it fits your eye.  There were a lot of shots on this course that made me extremely uncomfortable.

“The 13th tee was one of those just because I don’t like the drive and I tried to play the hole very conservatively and played it level for the week.

“It’s weird. It’s tough to win on a course that doesn’t fit your eye, but this is a sweet one.”

One ahead of Dubuisson starting the day, McDowell was not quite at his best over the front nine, hitting just two fairways as he turned for home in one-over, tied for the lead with his 2014 Ryder Cup partner, who would eventually card a four-over 74 to finish tied 10th on four-under-par.

He bogeyed the first, pulling his approach from a fairway bunker long and left before missing from 10 feet for par.

He had to work hard for his par at the second, chipping to eight feet after his three-iron approach ran through the green agains the collar of rough.

Dubuisson bogeyed the third, got back on terms with a two putt birdie at the fourth, but then followed a bogey at the fifth with a birdie at the sixth following a sensational approach to eight feet from the right rough.

McDowell had to make an eight footer for par there after bunkering his approach and was relieved to see Dubuisson miss from eight feet to take the lead at the seventh.

The Portrush man got back to level for the day at the eighth, rolling in a 20 footer for a two to move a shot clear of the Frenchman on 12-under.

But he then missed the ninth fairway and was unlucky to see his approach run through the green into a bunker from where he was unable to go at the pin with the water lurking beyond the flag and two putted from 40 feet for bogey.

He was tied with Dubuisson on 11-under after nine holes, two shot clear of Gavin Green, defending champion Dustin Johnson and veteran Phil Mickelson, who made an early move with three birdies in a row from the second.

Shane Lowry had another solid week, closing with a one-under 69 to finish tied 13th on five-under par before hanging on afterwards to congratulate McDowell as he walked in to sign his card.