Veteran McCluskey Caddies for GMAC

GMAC and Kevn McCluskey

US Army veteran Kevin McCluskey caddies for Graeme McDowell in the Par 3 event at the Masters eight years after having both legs blown off in Afghanistan and also losing all sight in his right eye.

McCluskey, who is from Philadelphia and served with the 101 Airborne Division in Afghanistan, said that he had been left "speechless" by McDowell's offer.

2010 US Open champion McDowell, whose two-under-par total left him six behind winner Jimmy Walker in the Par Three event, said that McCluskey's battles "puts life and golf in perspective".

"I hit a roadside bomb. I lost both my legs. One above the knee and one below the knee. I have a fake hip and a fake pelvis," said the US Army veteran.

"I lost a lot of motion in my wrist but I'm getting it back to normal now.

"I had shrapnel go through my face so I'm blind in my right eye but other than that I'm good. My mind is good.

"I've a beautiful family, a beautiful wife and many friends at home. Everybody has just helped me get back to where I need to be."

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GMAC Fires 67 at Sea Island

Graeme McDowell made a fine start at The RSM Classic at Sea Island in Georgia on Thursday.

Fresh from his playoff victory at the OHLClassic in Mexico last Monday, McDowell carded a three-under 67 on the Seaside Course, one of two layouts being used over the opening two rounds of the €5.3 million event.

McDowell started where he left off at Mayakoba, rolling in birdies putts from eight and five feet to go to two under early in his round.

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He followed that with four straight pars before pitching to three feet at the par-five seventh to make his third birdie of the day.

McDowell’s round hit a speed bump around the turn, with back to back bogeys dropping him back to one under par.

His putter had been superb in sealing his third PGA Tour victory in Mexico, but it went cold when he failed with par putts from 19 feet and 11 feet on the ninth and 10th.

McDowell steadied the ship with a run of four pars before making a birdie on the par-five 15th after he made the green in two.

Further chances presented themselves on the closing holes, but McDowell’s putter let him down, pushing a birdie chance to the right after a stunning iron to five feet on the par-three 17th.

He would leave the course on a high note though, rattling home a final birdie from all of 25 feet on the 18th.

McDowell will play the Plantation Course in his second round, the par-five 72 layout offering more scoring chances, with four par-fives.

American Kevin Kisner took the clubhouse lead in the tournament after he carded an eagle and five birdies on the Plantation Course to make it to seven under, one shot clear of the field.

A total of eight players made it to six under, with American duo Jeff Overton and Tom Hoge joined by Canada’s David Hearn in making 64s on the Seaside Course.

The American quarter of Jim Herman, Kyle Stanley Kevin Chappell and Scott Stallings were joined by South Korea’s Si Woo Kim in carding rounds of 66 at the Plantation Course.

American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love is the host of the event and he carded a level-par 70 on the Seaside Course. Love was playing alongside his son Dru, the amateur player also carding a 70.

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GMAC Leads HSBC Champions

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Graeme McDowell was left to rue two closing bogeys but his first round 67 was still good enough to grab a two-shot lead after the first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

McDowell who leads the way after a flying start to the day at Sheshan International which saw him play his first 12 holes in seven-under-par.

He dropped two shots in his last six holes though to finish on five-under for the tournament, but that was still two strokes better than the chasing pack of six including Rickie Fowler and Martin Kaymer on three-under.

Starting from the 10th, the Ryder Cup star birdied his opening hole and picked up further shots on the 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th to race to the turn in 31, before birdies at the second and third took him well clear of a star-studded field.

However, the former US Open champion dropped his first shot of the day on the fourth and paid the price for missing his only fairway of the round on the 603-yard eighth hole, a par-five which had so far given up just two birdies.

McDowell said: “Obviously the course played fairly difficult today. The wind direction had switched completely from practice, some of the game plan had switched a little bit and some of the holes were playing pretty long," said McDowell.

Tough

"This is as tough off the tee as I think I've ever seen this golf course.

“Seven under par through 12 holes was a beautiful start, and although I dropped a couple coming in, all in all I’m very, very pleased with five under par on what I thought was a reasonably tricky day."

At five-under-par, McDowell enjoyed a two-shot lead over American trio Fowler, Chris Kirk and Brandt Snedeker, along with South African Tim Clark, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and fellow Ryder Cup star Kaymer.

"It's a good start and I really enjoy playing here anyway," said Kaymer, who shot a final round of 63 on his way to victory in 2011 and also holds the course record of 62.

"Even when I was at level par today I just kept telling myself, you enjoy the golf course so much, and you will have plenty of birdie chances, so you just need to wait. Fortunately today on the back nine, it turned out well."

A host of big names sit just one shot further back on two-under, with English duo Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood carding rounds of 70 along with Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen.

American Dustin Johnson (absent this week) claimed the title 12 months ago with a winning total of 24 under par, but Justin Rose - who was fifth last year - had correctly predicted heavier rough and firmer greens would make scoring more difficult.

Rose, who was fourth in the BMW Masters on Sunday, mixed four birdies with four bogeys for a level par round of 72.

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, who took 13 on the ninth hole during his final round last week, struggled to an opening 78, while FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel managed just one birdie in a round of 80.

GMAC Stays with Srixon

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Graeme McDowell has signed a multi-year contract extension with Srixon.

Having joined the company in 2011 as US Open Champion, the Rathmore golfer is happy to once again put pen to paper on a new deal. “I’m thrilled to remain a member of the Srixon and Cleveland Golf family, one I’ve been part of since my college days” said McDowell. 

“I couldn’t be happier with my current bag and I’m playing some of the best golf of my career. Much of that has to do with their exceptional equipment, coupled with the tremendous support they’ve continually given me. I’m now looking to taking things forward again and accomplishing many of my professional goals over the coming years.” 

Todd Harman, speaking on behalf of Cleveland/Srixon, said "We couldn’t be more thrilled that Graeme has decided to remain a member of Srixon’s PGA Tour staff. Graeme is one of those unique individuals who brings so much to the game of golf. His passion for competition, combined with his love for the game and respect for the fans, has made him the type of ambassador that any company would be honored to have on their staff. The fact that Graeme has chosen to remain in the Srixon family says an awful lot in regards to how he feels about our products, as well as our company.” 

McDowell currently plays Srixon irons, ball, hat, glove and bag in addition to his Cleveland woods and wedges.

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GUR for Lytham Bunkers - McDowell

Graeme McDowell last night warned that some of The Open’s waterlogged bunkers were not fair and should be taken out of play.

The heavy rain of recent weeks saw the water table at Royal Lytham & St Annes on the Lancashire coast rise to such an extent that there was casual water in several of the links course’s bunkers during the first two rounds and McDowell said that unless they were dried out, the R&A should consider ruling them Ground Under Repair (GUR), meaning a player can drop out of such areas without penalty. 

"A few of those bunkers there are kind of a little bit of a question mark," said McDowell. "But we’re lucky that we’re playing. The golf course is on the edge of unplayable. 

"I’m not sure in other parts of the world if this was a normal tournament, some of those bunkers need to be GUR’d. I saw one in particular left of the 16th green, if you hit it in there, there’s nowhere to drop and there’s a foot of water. 

"That’s not golf. It’s not fair. A few of these bunkers that are question marks need to be taken out of play. Hopefully they can get them dried out overnight. 

"The golf course has remained unbelievably dry, considering how much rain we’ve had. The bunkers are a little dodgy in some places, unfortunately."

GMAC Leads Sun City NedBank

Graeme McDowell will take a one-shot lead into the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City tomorrow.

McDowell overcame a double bogey seven on the 14th to card a five under par 67 at the Gary Player Country Club.

At seven under par the former US Open champion tops a crowded leaderboard with defending champion Lee Westwood, world number four Martin Kaymer, Swede Robert Karlsson and American Jason Dufner all one shot behind.

World number one Luke Donald is five shots off the pace after a 72 left him two under alongside home favourite and Masters Tournament champion Charl Schwartzel.

Schwartzel began the day tied for the lead with Westwood, but struggled to a 74 after running up a double bogey six on the eighth.

McDowell’s own double bogey came on the par five 14th after he pulled his drive into the undergrowth, but the Northern Irishman also had seven birdies, including two in his last three holes.

“That's exactly what I wanted,” McDowell said. “It’s a pretty bunched leaderboard, which says a lot about how tough the course is when you start leaving the beaten track.

“I’m very happy to finish with a couple of birdies after a bit of a whoopsie on the par five.”

McDowell spent a long time on the range after yesterday’s opening round and added: “I spoke to my coach Pete Cowen who told me to tighten up my backswing a bit and I felt like I controlled my ball a bit better today, so thanks Pete!”

Ryder Cup team mate Kaymer was also pleased with his 68, which featured one bogey, three birdies and an eagle on the par five 10th.

“I played well again, the same as yesterday,” the German said. “I look forward to the weekend, I think I’ve put myself in a good position.

“I had a few good weeks in China last month which gave me a bit of confidence.”

GMAC Wants Open Back at Portrush

Graeme McDowell wants the Open to return to his home town of Portrush after a gap of 60 years.

The man Rory McIlroy succeeded as US Open champion was speaking after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Ulster on Tuesday.

"Rory and I would be behind a NI event with the potential of then getting the Open back to Portrush," he said.

"To play the Open in Portrush is a wild dream, to play a European Tour event in Portrush is an achievable dream."

He added: "I will do everything I can to make it happen."

The remarkable back-to-back US Open victories by Northern Ireland golfers have prompted renewed calls for the Open to return - it was last played at Royal Portrush in 1951.

Concerns have been previously been raised about the area's infrastructure and whether it cope with hosting such a large event.

As he rose to address fellow graduates at the university's campus in Coleraine - only a few miles from Portrush - McDowell admitted he was more nervous than he was during the closing stages of the 2010 US Open, or in the crucial final singles match at last year's Ryder Cup.

I've been fortunate in my career, I've had a lot of good breaks, made a lot of good decisions and holed a couple of good putts at the right time.Graeme McDowell

"Take me outside of my comfort zone, off the golf course, I've hit a couple of pretty important shots in my career last year but nothing really close to how I feel right now," he said.

McDowell urged to the young audience to set high goals in life, but ensure they had some fun along the way.

"I've been very lucky," said the 31-year-old, who turned pro before he could complete a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama.

"I've been fortunate in my career, I've had a lot of good breaks, made a lot of good decisions and holed a couple of good putts at the right time, so it's been an amazing experience."

Reflecting on Northern Ireland's US Open successes, McDowell said there was something a "little bit special" about his homeland.

"To have back-to-back US Open champions to come from a small country of Northern Ireland - 1.6 million people, whatever we have - I think the odds of that are pretty astronomical," he said.

"It really says something about the type of people we build here in Northern Ireland."

GMAC Not to be One Hit Wonder

Graeme McDowell defends his US Open title in Washington this coming week motivated by the desire to prove he is no one-hit wonder in the majors. 

With his Pebble Beach victory, Ryder Cup match-winning heroics and then a play-off triumph over Tiger Woods in December from four behind with a round to go, McDowell's place in European golf history is already assured. 

But at 31 the Northern Irishman is looking to take his career to the next level - just as Padraig Harrington did after capturing the 2007 Open. 

Harrington made a successful defence at Birkdale, then won the US PGA title as well. The first had not been done by a European since 1906, the second since 1930. 

Now McDowell, one of seven first-time winners in the last eight majors, believes he can follow suit - even though he has had only one other top-10 finish in majors before or since Pebble Beach. 

'Subconsciously we all want to prove ourselves,' he said. 'I don't want to be a one-hit wonder - I want to be the best player I can be. 

'What have I got? Five, 10, maybe 15 years of probably the prime of my career. Can I get better? Yeah. 

'I've got a hell of a lot of improving to do. There are so many areas of my game that I can get much, much better at. 

'I really do believe I've got the game to win an Open. Links is in my blood - always has been - and I'd love to win an Open. 

'But you've got to take every week as it comes and Congressional is going to be a huge milestone for me.'

Much though he has loved his year in the spotlight, holding one of the game's four biggest trophies for the first time has taken some getting used to and placed so many more demands on his time. 

'I'm excited to get there and have that weight lifted off my shoulders,' adds McDowell. 

Asked if it was a weight bearing down on him, he said: 'No, but subconsciously it might be. When I come out the other end I don't know how it's going to make me feel, but all I do know is that I'm going be ready to get on with the rest of my career. 

'What I've learned over the past year is that maybe I can handle being one of the world's top players. 

'It's been a great learning experience just to go through the process because I'll never go through it again - this will always be my first major. 

'It'll always be my defining year, my rookie year as a top player. I feel like I've experienced everything there is to experience in this game and anything else will feel reasonably normal. 

'Winning your first major is very surreal. It doesn't feel like you think it's going to feel. 

'It feels a lot more normal than that, but of course everything that goes with it is not normal and there's a period of trying to accept what you've achieved. 

'It didn't hit me for weeks afterwards. Even at the Open (a month later) I was still feeling pretty emotional. 

'When I see statements like 'first European for 40 years, first Irishman to win the US Open, only the third Irishman to win a major championship', stuff like that hits me hard. 

'It helps me grab the reality of what I did. Yet I just remember having a certain calm confidence during the week. 

'I remember (mental guru) Bob Rotella coming up at the start and asking if I wanted to do anything. 

'I said "Doc, I'm feeling very quietly confident. I'm in a calm place in my mind, I'm enjoying my golf, seeing my shots and executing them well". 

'I'd won in Wales and in nine holes at Lake Nona on the way to Pebble I had seven birdies. My game was all there - I know a few of the caddies had a sneaky punt on me.'

They must have been worried it was not going to happen when Dustin Johnson came charging past him into a three-stroke lead with a third-round 66 McDowell describes as 'immense'. 

His word for his own level-par 71 the same day is 'battling', but he adds: 'In a way Saturday was part of the reason I got the job done on Sunday. 

'I was nervous, but I came through that experience, handled it pretty well and I was in control of myself. 

'And when Dustin threw the lead back to me (with an early triple bogey and double bogey en route to an 82) I hadn't had to sleep on it. I was on the course, ready to accept it and run with it.' 

That he most certainly did. And he craves a chance to do it again.