McDowell tees up American dream Mark II

That was then. McDowell on the PGA Tour in 2006Graeme McDowell will make his second attempt to triumph on the PGA Tour next year, hoping for better luck than he had four years ago.

The US Open champion, who is building a new home at his Lake Nona base in Florida, will officially take up his card for 2011 having rejoined the PGA Tour at the end of last year as an affiliate member.

McDowell said: “There’s definitely going to be more of an American influence to my schedule for the first six months

“I want to give it a go next year because it’s a non-Ryder Cup year and I would like to try to FedEx play-offs. I’ll maybe not be quite as US-based as Luke Donald, Ian Poulter or Justin Rose, maybe like a Harrington-type schedule.”

McDowell played 14 events on the PGA Tour in 2005 with his second place finish to Vijay Singh at Bay Hill helping him earn enough cash to take out his card the following year.

It turned out to be a disastrous season as he struggled to recover fully from back and rib injuries he sustained in a car crash in July 2005.

Equipment and feel issues didn’t help either as he finished 169th in the money list that season, missing seven of 14 cuts and losing in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship.

“I had a card in 2006 but got injured early in that season and now I want to give it a real try,” McDowell said ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

This is now. Letting his first major win sink in on Cannery Row, June 2010Things have certainly changed for McDowell since 2006, when his ill-fated US sojurn eventually cost him his chance to qualify for the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club.

He left Chubby Chandler’s ISM at the end of the following year and has since won five times with the obvious highlight his victory in June’s US Open at Pebble Beach.

Former stablemate Lee Westwood, who can replace Tiger Woods as world No 1 if he finishes first or second in Scotland on Sunday, has decided to remain in Europe next year.

“The thing this week to do is to concentrate on the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as it’s easy to get distracted and not be able to refocus after last week,” said Westwood, who finished second in the Masters and the Open this year.

“Going to number two on Monday and having a chance to go to number one, I could get drawn towards that as well. But obviously if I take care of business on the golf course this week at the Dunhill Links then the world number one ranking takes care of itself.”