Major McDowell Not One Hit Wonder

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Graeme McDowell says he is desperate to prove he is not a "one-hit wonder" as a major winner, and would "give his left arm" to add to his US Open title at Hoylake this week.

The 34-year-old's best finish at the Open is a share of fifth place in 2012, while he led the tournament after one round the last time it was held at Hoylake in 2006 before fading over the final three days.

McDowell, who won the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, will tee off on Thursday in confident mood after successfully defending his French Open title two weeks ago.

"I'd give my left arm for the Claret Jug. I would, actually. That would be the end of my career, but it would be a nice way to go," joked McDowell.

"I feel like I'm ready to kick on to the next chapter in my career now and compete and win more major championships.

"I certainly don't want to be a one-hit wonder and I've learned a lot over the last few years since my US Open victory.

"I'd give my left arm for the Claret Jug. I would, actually. That would be the end of my career, but it would be a nice way to go." 

"I'd love a Claret Jug. Probably that and the green jacket (given to Masters champions) are probably neck and neck, but the Claret Jug is probably the one that I feel like I have the game to win as opposed to the Masters.

"I guess what I'm saying is I'm more motivated than ever to win major championships.

"I think I've got the experience and belief and knowledge where if I can play my game, I have the tools to then hang around for 72 holes and perhaps get the job done. I feel like I'm more ready than I've ever been to win another major."

McDowell said his confidence was partly based on his belief that the Hoylake course is ideally suited to his game.

"This is my kind of golf course this week and I want to give myself as many opportunities as I can to win majors," he said.

"I like it because you can't take trouble out of play. St Andrews is an example of a golf course where the big boys can just aim as far left as they want and hammer it and hit it past trouble.

"I think Lytham forces you into necks. This golf course forces you into little areas. It's well bunkered, there's bunkers at 260 and 290 yards where you have to be disciplined off the tee and find fairways and rely on good iron play."

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McIlroy Hopes to End Quail Duck

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Rory McIlroy carded a three under par round at the Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday to share sixth place and remain three strokes behind the leader, Angel Cabrera, at Quail Hollow.

The two-time major winner, who turns 25 on Sunday, is working off memories past on a course where he struck his first US win in 2010 with only aspirations for  the top spot in the world rankings.

In 2014 he seeking to break his close to year duck on the US Tour and return to the world top ten.

With Angel Cabrera in the clubhouse McIlroy would have hoped to put pressure on the Argentine but came unstuck after the turn with back-to-back bogeys on the 3rd and 4th. However, he bounced straight back to pick up shots at the next two holes to finish within three shots of the lead and claim, as things stand, a share of fourth place.

Darren Clarke signed for a round of 76 that sees his poor streak continue since taking up his PGA Tour card.

“It’s not nice to drop out,” McIlroy admitted. “Over three years in the top 10, you sort of get comfortable there. Hopefully, I can get myself back up into the sort of territory I have been at the last few years.”

“I missed 15 putts inside 8 feet the week of the Masters,” McIlroy continued. “I’ve worked on a few things since the Masters, and that’s the part of the game that I’m trying to improve a little bit more.”

Padraig Harrington was level through seven holes in the afternoon group, trading a birdie and a bogey.

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RBC Weather Delays McDowell

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Graeme McDowell moved to two under after six holes in the second round of the RBC Heritage, which was then suspended due to weather, and closer to the top of the leaderboard as he defends his title.

K.J. Choi's early tee time and quick start moved him to the top of the rain-delayed RBC Heritage on Friday. Choi shot a 67 to get to 5-under 137, one stroke ahead of Robert Allenby and two in front of a group led by former Official World Golf Ranking No. 1 Luke Donald as the second round was suspended because of heavy storms.

Allenby was among 65 players still on the course when the rain hit Harbour Town Golf Links. Officials delayed the round shortly before 3 p.m. and then sent everyone home until Saturday morning after waiting through about 90 minutes of steady, heavy rain.

Allenby has 13 holes to finish when play resumes Saturday morning.

Donald shot a 69 and joined Billy Hurley III (69) and first-round tri-leader Scott Langley (73) in the clubhouse two shots behind Choi. Bo Van Pelt and Ben Martin were also at 3 under early in their rounds.

Masters contenders Matt Kuchar and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth faltered after their strong starts at Harbour Town.

Kuchar, who tied for fifth last week at the year's first major, had a pair of double bogeys on his first six holes before the rains came and stood four shots behind Choi.

Spieth, a Masters rookie who tied for second at Augusta National, had a 74 and was at 1-over 143 -- good enough to make the projected cut of 4 over, but well off his opening 69.

Choi was four shots back of first-round leaders Kuchar, Langley and William McGirt at the beginning of the day. Based on his recent play, he didn't figure to make much of a dent in the cool, drizzly conditions.

But Choi had three birdies on the front nine, including one on the difficult, par-4 eighth hole, to get into contention. He caught Kuchar on No. 16, rolling in a 20-footer for birdie.

Choi's usual schedule had him return home to South Korea after the Masters to help take care of his three children. However, after hearing for years how Harbour Town might suit his game, he decided to play the South Carolina course.

"If you just hit it beneath the trees, it's a good course to play," Choi said. "It has very small targets and this course is working well."

Kuchar probably wished the storm had arrived sooner. His tee shot found water on the par-3 fourth hole for a double bogey. He sent his drive out of bounds on No. 6 to drop two more shots.

Kuchar opened with a steady performance -- Thursday's 66 was his lowest career round at Harbour Town -- just a few days after contending in the Masters.

He'll see if he can find that game once play resumes. His bad start didn't seem to bother him much. He smiled after hitting his provisional drive on the sixth hole, and then talked about the good time he and his family were having at Hilton Head.

"Chasing my youngest around the beach, so had some fun this morning," Kuchar said. "It's going to be lots of games and some movies maybe the next couple of days."

Allenby jumped into second after birdies on the first and second holes and was glad to get out of the inclement weather.

"It's not fun when it's blowing 20 miles an hour every different direction and it's raining at the same time," he said. "So it was nice get out of there."

Donald is coming off a disheartening Masters (he shot 79-70 to miss the cut), but he generally plays well at the RBC Heritage. He's had four top threes in his past five appearances and, with his 69, broke par for the 17th time in his last 22 rounds here.

"It's a good course for me and my results have certainly showed that in the last few years," Donald said.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson improved on his first-round showing of 75 to shoot 73 on Friday. The 6-over 148 title was still two shots more than the projected cut line. While Watson hoped to play better, he was just as happy he got a chance to see young Ryder Cup contenders like Spieth and Patrick Reed up close. "Those were my intentions this week," he said. 

Five-time RBC Heritage champion Davis Love III won't be around for the final two rounds after following a strong 1-under 70 Thursday with an 80 in the second round -- Love's highest score ever in 93 career rounds at Harbour Town.

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McIlroy Green Jacket Favourite

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Rory McIlroy admits his Masters record is a source of disappointment and he cannot imagine ending his career without a green jacket.

McIlroy is the bookmakers' favourite for the year's first major championship, although the former world number one's best finish at Augusta National remains his share of 15th in 2011, when he held a four-shot lead going into the final round but collapsed to a closing 80.

"I'd be disappointed if I ended my career and wasn't able to go up and have breakfast in the champions' locker room," McIlroy said.

"The way I play golf, the way my game is, Augusta does set up well for me. And for me not to have a top-10 coming into my sixth Masters..."

McIlroy already has two major titles to his name after winning the US Open in 2011 - just two months after his Masters meltdown - and the 2012 US PGA Championship, both by eight shots.

The 24-year-old would love to take the third step towards a career grand slam by winning a Masters title that has evaded greats of the game like Greg Norman and Ernie Els.

Take control

"You can look at someone like Greg Norman, or the person that I look at is Ernie Els," McIlroy added. "He sees Trevor Immelman winning, he sees Charl Schwartzel win. He sees all these young South Africans; Louis Oosthuizen (losing) in a play-off.

"He should have won it in 2004 when Phil Mickelson birdied two of the last three. Mickelson was due a major at that point but he had never finished like that to win one, and all of a sudden he does. I think Ernie probably goes back every year and feels like that is the one that got away.

"I don't want to get to that point but I am 24, not 44. It would be great to win one sooner rather than later. It is the same with every competition; you don't want to wait too long for these things to happen. You want to take control of them yourself.

"Five players have won the career grand slam, I was looking at that the other day. I was looking at the ages; Tiger Woods was 24, Jack Nicklaus was 26. I think three people have done it in their 20s.

"There is no timescale, I have a lot of years left. I would love to do it. It's something that would be a huge achievement, to put yourself on that list."

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The Golf1Million Series

Golf1million Series 1 is a new ground breaking golf event planned for October 2015. Is amateur golf about to get its first MAJOR?

Ian Whitty the creator of Golf1million explains why he thinks golf needs an event like this:

“Golf1million was created to give the average club golfer the chance to experience what Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy would experience when playing in the Masters or The Open Championship. We all dream about playing the final hole at the Masters or standing over a six-foot putt to win the Open, but we could never have this experience until now. Golf1million will recreate this experience for all the golfers that are lucky enough to be drawn to take part in the event.

Over four days the golfers will get a chance to be part of the ultimate golf event and test their skills to the limit under extreme pressure while being watched by the TV cameras and thousands of golf fans.

How do you enter?

As we want golfers of ALL skill levels to have the exact same chance to take part in Golf1million Series 1 we have decided to select at random. 

Golfers simply have to buy a Golf1million Limited Edition shirt. With each shirt comes a card with a number and code. You then go online and register your card details and that’s it. You are in with a shot. Shirts can be purchased now on www.golf1million.com Shirts cost €27euro each.

We officially launch at the London Golf show in EarlsCourt, London from November 8th-10th 2013 and plan to attend golf events and expo’s worldwide from early 2014.

Who can take part: Any golfer over 18yrs old on the first of October 2015 that has an Official golf handicap. We decided to have a random draw to pick 50 golfers to take part as most golf events require rounds of qualifying, but our event wants to take this hurdle away and give everyone an equal chance to take part.

When and where will the event take place?

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in October 2015.

What does the winning golfer get?

This is a winner take all event to create the ultimate pressure atmosphere. The winning golfer will walk away with World sports most valuable trophy worth a cool $1,000,000.

For further information, rules, terms & conditions go to www.golf1million.com

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Smyth Chases Woburn Treble

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Des Smyth will attempt to become the first player to win the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters three times when he defends his title at Woburn Golf Club this week against the best field ever amassed for the event.

The Irishman held off the challenge of 2011 Order of Merit winner Peter Fowler and former Ryder Cup Captain Mark James 12 months ago in front of record crowds of more than 23,000 people, triumphing for a second time in three years.

With Englishman Carl Mason (2006-7) the only other player to win the title more than once, Smyth can claim an historic treble this week on a course that will be hosting its 30th tour event.

At the halfway mark of the European Senior Tour season, Smyth currently sits 15th on the Order of Merit, with a share of eighth place in the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship his best finish so far this campaign.

He heads to Woburn on the back of three consecutive tied 14th place finishes, but as he chases his first win beyond the age of 60, Smyth believes the Duke’s Course at Woburn can once again bring out the best in his game.

“I’ve always played well at Woburn over the years and I feel like my game is coming around, so I think I will be in good shape for Woburn,” said Smyth. “I just need to improve my putting, but I always seem to putt well there.

“I know what it takes to win at Woburn because both of the times I won I shot ten under par, so that is my target as it seems to be the winning score.

“It’s a tree lined course, which promotes straight hitting and that it is my strength. It is a great golf course and it has always been one of the Senior Tour’s best tournaments. I’m very lucky to have won it twice and I would love to do it another time.

“I feel like I’m playing better and I’m getting a good feeling. It’s hard to explain, but going back to a place where you’ve done well before always helps.”

Colin Montgomerie, another player with a strong affinity for Woburn Golf Club, this week makes his debut in the £300,000 tournament in is his first appearance in a regular Senior Tour event.

The Scot was runner-up and third on his last two appearances over the Duke’s Course, in the 1999 and 2000 British Masters respectively.

He was also third on the Duke’s Course in the British Masters in 1994 and tenth in 1993, and he will now look to extend that record by attempting to become the second Ryder Cup Captain after James (2005) to win the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Santiago Luna will be chasing back-to-back victories after winning the SSE Scottish Senior Open at Fairmont St Andrews a fortnight ago.

Sam Torrance, who finished joint runner behind Luna in Scotland, will be hoping to build on his first top five finish of the season, and he is one of four former Ryder Cup Captains in the field, alongside James, Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam.

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