Graeme McDowell is delighted to be back in competitive action after an extended break and will be in hot pursuit of The Race to Dubai title after The 2010 Ryder Cup.
The Northern Irishman played in the Austrian GolfOpen presented by Botarin after taking a month off to rest, and showed little signs of rustiness as he cruised to a third place finish with four rounds in the 60s.
Second in the current Race to Dubai, the 31 year old US Open Champion crept a little closer to leader Martin Kaymer with the €38,750 prize money at Diamond Country Club but knows he has a battle on his hands to overhaul the German by the end of the season.
“Martin has been playing unbelievable golf and has managed to put a bit of daylight between him and me in the last couple of months but the aim is to reel him back in if I can. It’s a big goal of mine this season to really give that a run and be in with a shot of winning The Race to Dubai.
“Part of my reasoning for having the time off after the US PGA Championship was to really make sure I was rested up to be able to play the last five in a row – the Open de Andalucia through to the Dubai World Championship. You don’t get too many opportunities to win an Order of Merit so I’ll be giving it my best shot.”
Last season McDowell was not in contention last year to win The Race to Dubai heading to the season finale, the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World, but after wins in The Celtic Manor Wales Open and the US Open – his first Major title – McDowell is relishing being in the mix this season.
It’s been an unbelievable season for me and to win would really top it off,” said McDowell, who with earnings of €2,094,667 is €459,733 behind Kaymer, who won the US PGA Championship. “It’s very exciting some of the battles going on up there at the top. It’s great to have that rivalry and I’m enjoying being in the mix heading into the last part of the season and I’ll be giving everything to try and win it.
“Last week was mission accomplished. I went to Austria to put my game under some pressure and compete over the weekend and I did that.”
With all but two of the top 15 – Miguel Angel Jiménez being the other - resting last week, there was no change within The Race to Dubai bonus pool, but further down the rankings, Jose Manuel Lara secured his playing rights for another season with victory in Austria.
The Spaniard has endured a torrid season but his play-off win over David Lynn earned him €125,000 which moved him from 130th to 93rd and into the all-important top 115 who keep their card for 2011. Lara is now targeting the top 60, who earn a place in the field for the season-ending Dubai World Championship, played over the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Lynn’s second place elevated him from 99th to 80th and Richard Green, tied 11th in Austria after an impressive final round 65, jumped to 60th which, if he remains there, would earn him a spot at the lucrative Dubai World Championship, where a $7.5million prize fund is up for grabs.
