Friday 3 July 2015 01:10, UK
Graeme McDowell hopes history will be on his side as he looks to kick-start his season and defend his Open de France title at Le Golf National.
The Northern Irishman has only carded one top-10 finish during the first half of the year, but is looking to become the first player since Marcel Dallemagne in the 1930s to win France’s flagship tournament for a third year running.
Although confident that a return to form isn’t far away, McDowell, who returns to Europe off the back of two missed cuts on the PGA Tour, knows results need to improve ahead of a busy few weeks ahead.
"Really I have to start the ball rolling again and start that momentum gathering," McDowell said at Wednesday’s pre-tournament press conference. "I feel a lot happier where I am mentally now than where I was four or five months ago.
"You know, I look at the world rankings and I'm very conscious of not panicking. I know I'm good enough and I know that if I keep doing what I'm doing, that things will come back."
Victory would see McDowell become just the fifth player in European Tour history to win an event three years in a row, having followed up a four-shot victory in 2013 with a dramatic title defence 12 months later.
The 35-year-old was eight strokes adrift heading in to the final round last year, but shot a closing 67 as to snatch victory as those around him faltered.
“Having a chance to win a tournament three times in a row is very special,” McDowell added. “I've always enjoyed this golf course, right back in the early days when I would come here
“The two wins were obviously very different. You always like to win a tournament, as opposed to be given it to a certain extent. So from that point of view, I guess 2013 was a bit more special than 2014.”
Strong field
McDowell is one of seven of last year’s winning Europe Ryder Cup team in action this week, featuring in the afternoon marquee group alongside team-mate Lee Westwood and home favourite Alexander Levy.
Thomas Bjorn and Stephen Gallacher are both in the field, while the trio of Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Martin Kaymer, who won the tournament in 2009, make up the pick of the morning threeballs.
“I’m very happy to be back; it’s a fantastic course,” Westwood said. “I’ve come close here in the past. It's been given The Ryder Cup in a few years' time, as well, so that shows how strong a golf course it is.
“You have to hit a lot of good shots. You have to keep the ball in play, very straight: it's all about hitting fairways and hitting greens around this golf course.
Included in a strong contingent from Asia are emerging Indian star Anirban Lahiri, with two tournament wins under his belt already this year, South Korea's Byeong Hun An, who won last month’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee.
Watch the Open de France throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 – your home of golf.
