Graeme McDowell confident of big week at US Open
Monday 13 June 2016 16:52, UK
Graeme McDowell has insisted he will "relish the challenge" provided by Oakmont Country Club as he prepares for this week's US Open.
McDowell arrived at the Pittsburgh venue earlier than scheduled after he missed the halfway cut in the FedEx St Jude Classic, but he has used the extra time to brush up on one of the most difficult layouts in world golf.
The 2010 champion has missed the US Open cut twice in the last three years, but he believes Oakmont will play to his strengths as he looks to revive his bid for a place in the field for The Open at Royal Troon next week as well as Europe's Ryder Cup side.
"From what I'm hearing with comments coming back from a few guys it sounds incredibly difficult and I like that, I do relish that challenge," McDowell said. "I think I am more of a purist US Open guy. I've performed well on the pure US Open tests like Pebble Beach and Olympic Club and had it going at places like Winged Foot.
"I'm very much looking forward to this one and feel like I am taking some decent amount of game in there. Olympic Club (in 2012) was my most recent good US Open performance and I missed the cut at Memphis and flew in early and enjoyed that little bit of extra homework.
"One area I need to work on is my driving of the ball, I need to get a little bit of my fade back so I can brings those irons in a little softer to the greens.
"Apart from those two rounds at the K Club at the weekend (76 and 80 in the Irish Open) it's actually been a solid three weeks of striking and hanging in, hitting a lot of good shots. Take those two rounds out of play and I would be pretty happy with my three weeks' work.
"The memories are not as ripe in my brain as I'd like them to be, but there is no doubt going into the US Open it's always nice to be announced on the tee as the 2010 champion. That will never ever get old as long as I live.
"Going to the US Open it's definitely nice to channel the old feelings again and of the four majors it's still the one I feel I have the best chance to win. I'd like to win another one before I'm done."
McDowell is currently 15th in the Ryder Cup qualifying race, but he now faces a hectic schedule over the next two months and remains confident he can force his way into Darren Clarke's plans.
"I'm going to play six of the following seven weeks and that's my season right there," he added. "It will be a big run, my wife's pretty heavily pregnant and spending five weeks away from her I'm not really looking forward to, but I've got to do it.
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"I want to play on the Ryder Cup team very badly and that's going to be the key part of the season. The French Open has double (Ryder Cup) points, and then the Scottish Open, with a good field, will have plenty of world ranking points.
"Then it's into The Open which I'm not currently exempt for but I'm hoping to hang on to the top 20 in the FedEx points.
"They'll take the top five not already exempt and I should be in that top five and that's my way into The Open, fingers crossed."
Meanwhile, Memorial Tournament winner William McGirt is one of six players who have been added to the US Open field this week.
McGirt will make his debut in the tournament at Oakmont along with the leading alternates from the recent sectional qualifying - Americans Zach Edmondson, Tony Finau, Kevin Foley, Daniel Summerhays and Mike van Sickle.
