Graeme McDowell is determined to have "no regrets" as he chases Ryder Cup glory this season.

The Portrush ace, 28, was shattered to miss the party at The K Club in 2006 where he was a TV analyst.

And as he prepares to tee it up in the Johnnie Walker Classic in New Delhi today, McDowell has vowed not to settle for second best again.

Reflecting on his failure to make the Ryder Cup side two years ago, McDowell said: " I remember at the time, the pain I felt at being at such a huge sports event and not being part of the action. At times, I was asking myself, ‘What am I doing here?'

"In hindsight it served to fuel my desire to give myself the best possible chance to make the team next time around.

"I have no real interest in forging a solid, comfortable career on tour, which involves a couple of wins and the odd flutter of excitement here and there.

"I set high goals for myself. I have high expectations of my game and where I believe I can go if I apply myself correctly."

McDowell is just win away from moving into the 10 automatic qualifiers on the European Ryder Cup qualifying tables.

The top five from the World Points List and the next five from the European Points lists make the team with skipper Faldo adding two wildcards following the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles on August 31.

McDowell is 15th on the world points list and 16th on the European ranking, leaving him 17th in the overall pecking order.

But with 276,387 points on offer in Delhi this week, he can move up to seventh if he grabs his third European Tour win this week.

And after changing management company and resetting his goals over the winter months, the world No 87 feels ready to experience that winning feeling again.

He said: "My goals for 2008 are simple. Obviously I want to get back into the world's top 50 and make the Ryder Cup team.

"With my management team I have put more planning into this season than in previous years. I now have a very clear plan of what my weekly schedule is for the next 10 months, how I want my team to work and how I want to manage my game.

"I know that if I stick to my plan for the year, work hard and stay focused, then all of my performance goals will take care of themselves.

"It's an exciting time for me and I can honestly say that I haven't been looking forward to a season with such anticipation for a couple of years.

"I don't believe that I will be looking back in 10 years' time wondering what might have been."

McDowell has already had four outings this season, finishing fifth behind Tiger Woods in the Dubai Desert Classic and 12th in the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters in Delhi three weeks ago.

He's been waiting nearly four years for his third European Tour win and he believes he will be better prepared to build on his next success when it finally arrives.

He said: "I've had a couple of setbacks and, like anyone in life, I've made some bad decisions. But I don't believe that I will be looking back in 10 years' time wondering what might have been."

Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane and Peter Lawrie complete the Irish challenge in Delhi, where Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter, Colin Mongtomerie and Robert Karlsson are headlining the field.