Upbeat McDowell praying for help from the elements in Bermuda
Graeme McDowell. Picture: Robert Beck/USGA
Graeme McDowell is keeping his fingers crossed that the wild "Irish" weather forecast for today's final round will help him challenge for his fifth PGA TOUR win in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The 2010 US Open champion (42) fired a second successive four-under 67 to go into the final round tied for 10th on nine-under-par at Port Royal Golf Club in Southampton.
He's eight strokes behind Canadian Taylor Pendrith (30), a Korn Ferry Tour graduate seeking his first win.
But with the final round tee times brought forward to 7:45am local time to avoid the worst of the weather, the Portrush native reckons he's got the game to trouble the leaders and boost his own confidence.
"Tomorrow's weather is predicted to be much like Thursday morning's weather, and it gives me a fantastic opportunity," said McDowell, who played alongside Patrick Reed, 17th after a 68, and West Waterford's Seamus Power, who fell back to 32nd on six-under after a 70.
"So it's nice to be in and around the leaderboard on the weekend. It's the confidence and momentum I am looking for in my game and look forward to getting back out there tomorrow."
High winds and rain squalls wrought havoc in Thursday's first round, and while the Ulsterman is now based in Orlando, he's never lost the wind skills he learned on the links at Portrush.
"Guys look at me and think that I must enjoy this weather more than they do, being the Irish guy in the field," McDowell said with a grin.
"I don't think I enjoy it necessarily, but I do think my game is suited to it. It's weird. It's like today I tried to get my normal game back with the normal flights and normal swings, but then tomorrow we have to re-engage the low ball again.
"It will mean a lot of half and three-quarter ball flights and using the range to get the ball flight under control ahead of getting ready for the golf course.
"I am looking forward to the challenge, obviously. I am going to be four or five shots back, but that is the kind of day you can make those type of shots up because if we had another day like today, there is no way I could come from five or six back. So, if it's a tough day, we can obviously do that."
McDowell took two months off this summer to rehab a forearm injury and recharge mentally after missing nine of 13 cuts.
He returned convinced he can still compete with a strong menta’ game and by re-dedicating himself to his strengths— solid driving accuracy, iron play and putting that has been his trademark for the past 20 years — rather than chasing distance.
He started the third round tied 17th on five-under but quickly moved to within two shots of the lead as he played his first 10 holes in five-under-par.
In the end, he faded a little with a level par back nine, failing to get up and down for par at the 235-yard 16th, then missing from inside eight feet for birdie at the 17th.
Pendrith fired a 61 in the second round to lead overnight, but while he was one-over through his first six holes, he birdied the seventh, eighth and ninth to move four ahead of McDowell, then covered the back nine in four-under 31.
His six-under 65 gave him a three-stroke lead on 17-under par over New Zealander Danny Lee, who also shot 65 with Dubai Duty Free Irish Open champion Lucas Herbert of Australia, a shot further back, also after a 65.
McDowell, whose PGA TOUR exemption runs out at the end of this season, is tied for second for driving accuracy behind Guido Migliozzi in his first appearance in Bermuda since the PGA Grand Slam of Golf 11 years ago.
"I have played the golf course a little bit conservatively unlike some other guys," said the Rathmore man. "I feel like all facets of my game are in good shape.
"This is a fun golf course where you have to be in place off the tee because the rough is kind of jumpy, and it's tough to control your ball.
"It's the first time I've been back here in 11 years, and it won't take me 11 years to come back again, I will say that."
Chasing his second PGA TOUR in his last six starts, Power made four birdies and three bogeys in a 70 but struggled on the greens, three-putting the last for bogey and a 32-putt round.
