McDowell sets his sights on securing place in World Top 50
Graeme McDowell is putting himself under pressure to perform well in the Hong Kong Open this week
Thursday November 12 2009
The six Irish golfers contesting this week's UBS Hong Kong Open were guests of the Hong Kong Jockey Club last night where they sized up their odds in this week's penultimate event on the 2009 Race to Dubai schedule.
Aside from capturing the co-sanctioned Asian and European title, the sextet have other targets to aim at in this event.
Rory McIlroy is chasing the Race to Dubai No 1 spot, while Graeme McDowell's immediate concern is a place in the World's Top 50.
Peter Lawrie is out to improve his 48th position on the money list, while Darren Clarke will be seeking to join McIlroy, McDowell and Lawrie in qualifying for next week's season-ending Dubai World Championship -- and that means improving by three places from his current 63rd standing.
Belfast's Michael Hoey can mathematically still qualify for the Dubai event, but at 92nd on the money list he would need to win in the former colonial outpost.
Shane Lowry, who completes the Irish sextet, is simply looking to end his season on a high note with good showings in Hong Kong and next week's Dunlop Phoenix Open in Japan.
Drama
McDowell has returned to competition after a week's break following his fifth place in the Singapore Open and has been reunited with the golf clubs that have cost Neil McLachlan, his Horizons Sports manager, two separate excess luggage charges over the past two weeks thanks to China Eastern Airlines.
McDowell left his clubs with McLachlan, who was charged 500 Singapore dollars, while travelling from Singapore to Shanghai and then 400 Chinese RMB by the same airline to load the clubs last Monday on a flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong.
"Neil mentioned about the drama with my clubs," smiled McDowell. "But that aside, I really need two solid weeks as I have given myself the goal of ending the year in the top 50."
"Dubai next week is my last event, so I am putting pressure on myself to achieve that -- it has to be done.
"Being inside the top 50 qualifies you for Augusta, World Championships and other events, so I am under no illusions than I need to play well for these two weeks.
"I played well in Singapore and I like this Hong Kong Club golf course. I have played okay here in the past two years. I finished 11th 2008 and sixth the year before.
"That's a decent track record, but to stay inside the top 50, you need do well in the big purse events, and that means turning those 15ths and 10ths and fifths into thirds."
"That is what I haven't quite done this season. I have not been 100pc on my game all year round, but there has been a lot of good stuff as well.
"I wanted to play well in the Majors and I did, though again it could have been better."
Darren Clarke played yesterday's Pro-Am in smart-looking shirt, but after four hours in sauna-like conditions, he left the course soaked through.
However, the heat and humidity hasn't drained his enthusiasm to qualify for next week's final event on the Race to Dubai schedule.
The Dungannon golfer is just under €20,000 away from moving inside the top 60 and that equates to a top-20 UBS Hong Kong result.
"I was scheduled to go home after Singapore, but I thought if I am going to give myself the best chance of competing next week in Dubai, I have to be getting used to the conditions," he said.
"My boys weren't happy, so after a few extra days in Singapore, I've been in Hong Kong since last Thursday and practicing here at the club.
"If I get into next week, then great and while I want to be there, if I don't qualify, I will have six weeks off instead of five."
Hong Kong Open, Live, Sky Sports 2, 6.0am (repeat 12.0)
- Bernie McGuire in Hong Kong
Irish Independent
