DUBAI // Nuptials and nurturing may have soothed the mind, but there is one thing that has gnawed at Graeme McDowell upon his long-awaited return to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this week.
“Looking around the last few days, wondering why I haven’t been back here in a few years,” he said yesterday.
“Of the four Middle East events we play, this has got to be the best opportunity for me from a golf course point of view, so the question mark remains why I haven’t been back here in so long.”
There are several reasons. The emergence of the Abu Dhabi tournament represents one – from 2010 to 1012, McDowell began his campaign in the capital – as does the PGA Tour’s west coast swing, which clashes with its Middle Eastern counterpart.
Either way, he has not contested the Desert Classic since placing tied-20th five years ago.
So McDowell, 35, arrives back at Emirates Golf Club a significantly different man. For a start, there was the breakthrough major victory at the 2010 US Open, not to mention five wins since across the game’s main circuits.
Meanwhile, the Northern Irishman, ranked No 19 in the world, has been a key member of the past three winning Ryder Cup teams. There has been much to keep him occupied.
Yet, the most drastic change has not been professional, but personal. In late 2013, McDowell married long-time girlfriend Kristin Stape in the Bahamas.
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Then, last August, the couple welcomed their daughter, Vale Esme, to the world.
Family life is apparently treating him well.
“I can see how fatherhood can affect golfers positively,” he said. “Life is in balance off the course, so it really gives you the mental space to pour yourself back into your game.
“I’m much more settled than I ever was and, when I go home, it gives me such a different perspective away from the game. It allows you to switch off a lot more.”
Consequently, McDowell feels more switched on. He plans the next four or five years to be even better than the past half-decade, while this season is all about building on a sturdy 2014.
Aside from victory at the French Open, McDowell finished in the top 10 in three of the four World Golf Championship events, and posted a tied-ninth at the British Open, as well. Only minor improvement is required for major glory, he said.
“Last year was incredibly consistent and solid, without having too many highlight reels in there,” he said.
“So I’m just looking for those three or four strong weeks in the big tournaments to turn a good year into a great one.”
Should the season disappoint, then his future calendar could look much more clogged. For that, seek answers a little closer to home.
“When the wife starts telling me to play 35 or 40 events a year, then she’s getting fed up with me,” McDowell said. “We’re in the early stages, so I’m enjoying being at home. But when I start playing more, you’ll know she’s thrown me out and told me to go make more money.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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