- Graeme McDowell’s 2010 form seems to be returning.
Tiger Woods picked some time for a comeback. He was the only thing standing between a unique golfing double for Northern Ireland and he did, indeed, deny Graeme McDowell victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Head in Orlando, Fla. just hours after Michael Hoey wrapped up his fourth European Tour win in the Trophée Hassan II at Golf du Palais Royal in Agadir, Morocco.
The weekend underlined, once again, the strength of Ireland’s professional golfing corps, as McDowell returned to the form he displayed in 2010, while Hoey continued to fulfill the potential he’s long been destined for, with Damien McGrane finishing a strong second.
The Moroccan tournament seemed McGrane’s to lose, ever since he opened with an eagle-3 at the 10th hole on Thursday. He was among the first out that day and the 65 he posted, despite three bogeys, stood up atop the leaderboard after the field had completed play. Hoey, meanwhile, shot 74 (five bogeys and three birdies) and was ripe for an early ticket out of the North African country.
McGrane continued to play strong golf thereafter and relinquished the lead only for a brief spell during the second round while he was waiting to tee off. He was fortunate to avoid bogeys during heavy gusts that delayed the second round, and put 68 down on his card. His inability to break 70 over the weekend, including a double-bogey 6 at 18 on Saturday, allowed Hoey room to clamber past on the leaderboard.
Hoey minimized the bogeys (just six) over the final 54 holes, while going on a birdie spree. He clipped a stroke off par on seven holes on Friday, and then did likewise on eight holes both Saturday and Sunday, along with an eagle at the 10th on Saturday for good measure.
Hoey, who was playing a group ahead of McGrane on Sunday, shot a winning 271 (74-67-65-65) to McGrane’s 274 (65-68-71-70).
“It’s been surreal and it always takes a while to sink in,” Hoey said after his victory was sealed. “I knew Damien was going to be really tough, and I was surprised when I saw the leaderboard at the 18th that he’d dropped to 14 and then I had like four putts or something for it. I was struggling for the cut the first round, but I started swinging the club really well for the next three rounds.
“Wins just kind of sneak up on you, if you know what I mean. I was just thinking about playing well and seeing what happens. Definitely the best I’ve swung it the last three rounds, ever, definitely, definitely. I’ve never had that consistency before with the long game. It’s exciting to be able to swing it like that.”
The win moves Hoey up to 74th place in the Official World Golf Rankings, tantalizingly close to automatic dates in some of the globe’s premier events.
McGrane, who has turned a corner off a disappointing 2011 that saw him in danger of losing his European Tour card, took the stoic approach to his bridesmaid status.
“I’m very disappointed now, but I was three shots behind the pace, it wasn’t as if I finished one shot behind Michael” McGrane said. “I finished second by myself, which was a bonus as well, so I’m content, but I really thought teeing off at lunchtime that this is my tournament. But some people can shoot from the pack and that’s what Michael done today.
“It was a long week and a tough week for me. Being on top of the leaderboard all week long is draining, especially if you’re not used to it and I’m not used to it. I’m disappointed, but Michael won it, didn’t he? I played a lot of good golf, so I have to take the positives out of that.”
PGA TOUR
McDowell was paired with Woods for the final round, not necessarily a daunting prospect seeing how the two had gone mano á mano at Tiger’s Chevron World Challenge in December 2010 to McDowell’s advantage.
McDowell had closed to within a stroke of Woods after 54 holes, but immediately hamstrung his chances with a double bogey at the first hole on Sunday. Woods obliged with a bogey of his own at the second, but he then went on a birdie binge, clipping strokes off par over four of the next six holes.
An eagle-3 off a long putt at the sixth green seemed to pump McDowell up, but he couldn’t maximize his opportunities, taking four bogeys and a single birdie the rest of the way.
Woods, for his part, didn’t sparkle over the back nine. He had no birdies and a single bogey, but then with only McDowell in range, he could afford to lay back and play conservatively.
Woods won with a score of 13-under-par 275 (69-65-71-70), while McDowell closed shop at 280 (72-63-71-74). Two shots farther back came Ian Poulter in third place.
The 63 that McDowell shot on Friday was the best of the tournament by two strokes. He built that round on seven birdies and one eagle. Prior to Sunday’s round, he had only three bogeys through the initial 54 holes.
“It was such a hard day today,” McDowell said after Sunday’s round. “Pins were tucked again, tough breeze, very major-like. I just didn’t control my ball flight well enough. Every time I got close to [Woods], I made a mistake.”
Regardless, McDowell is excited with the condition in which he finds his game.
“Second-place finish at a big event really sets up my spring into the summer,” McDowell said. “I felt my game bubbling under the surface nicely and I’m very happy with a lot of the golf shots I’ve hit this week. I’ve putted well and every facet of my game is in decent shape. I’m excited about Houston [this] week and on to Augusta.”
