Graeme McDowell goes into the defence of his US Open title determined not to be a one-hit wonder in the major championship reckoning.
Northern Irishman determined to shine at Congressional
Graeme McDowell goes into the defence of his US Open title determined not to be a one-hit wonder in the major championship reckoning.
Teeing it up at Congressional next week will signal the end of a magnificent year for McDowell, who won his maiden major 12 months ago at Pebble Beach.
From there the Northern Irishman went on to bag the winning point at the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and he has been riding on a crest of a wave ever since.
The 31-year-old has only ever had one other top 10 finish in the majors apart from his US Open win, but is determined to improve on that record and become a real major threat.
McDowell's form has suffered this year, but he insists he still has a lot of improvement in him and fully believes he can pocket another major - albeit with the Open his most realistic target of the four.
One-hit wonder
"Subconsciously we all want to prove ourselves," said McDowell. "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."
McDowell is one of seven first-time winners in the last eight majors, and the amount of players capable of winning the big ones now makes it a much tougher prospect to retain a trophy.
Although he has been delighted to be the star of the show, McDowell admits he is looking forward to getting back to focusing purely on his golf, after learning a lot from spending 12 months as a major champion.
"I'm excited to get there and have that weight lifted off my shoulders," added McDowell. "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.
Experience
"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."
