McDowell looks to step up

There is a generation of young European players who aren't willing to even attempt to qualify for the US Open, and Graeme McDowell - for one - believes they are losing out by not taking the learning curve that inevitably leads to reaching new heights.

After finishing in tied-30th in the US Open at Oakmont, the Ulsterman - who had battled his way through International Qualifying at Walton Heath to secure his place, and who plans to make the upcoming British Open at Carnoustie via a similar route by undergoing qualifying at Sunningdale in a fortnight's time - remarked: "This course was an absolute head-wrecker, but these guys who aren't here are not going to get the experience to be gained from being here."

He expanded: "Oakmont is the toughest set-up I have ever played in my life, and you learn a lot about yourself. You can't learn these things if you're not here. For young players, this is an unbelievable test. It really shows you what to expect in a major and what you've got to do to win a major."

McDowell, who yesterday headed to his Florida home in Orlando - "just to check it is still in one piece," he quipped - for a few days, plans to return home to Portrush for the weekend, before starting out on a run that will take in the French Open, British Open qualifying, the European Open, the Scottish Open and, should he get a qualifying place, the British Open at Carnoustie.

While his memory of Oakmont over the weekend was, as he put it, "disappointing," McDowell believes you have to put yourself through such weeks if you're to learn. "I'm sure all the young players (in Europe) are dreaming of winning majors, like I am, and, after Oakmont, I really feel I have got a US Open inside me somewhere. I feel the US Open style set-up suits me.," he said.

The one area of his game that McDowell believes he needs to work on is his short game, particularly in a US Open context. "If I gave myself a handicap for chipping around the greens this past week, I was probably around a 20-handicapper.

"No offence to 20-handicappers around the world, but I could have picked up two or three shots a round around the greens easily. I just lost my confidence a little bit."

McDowell had a short game session with Thomas Bjorn and his coach Pete Cowan one evening at Oakmont. "It sort of opened my eyes, I have to say," said McDowell, who said he would approach the likes of Bjorn and Darren Clarke for help, players, as he put it, "who have the experience of this type of set-up and who have adapted their games accordingly."

Of the Oakmont experience, McDowell said: "I feel I've learnt a lot about myself. I was disappointed with my performance over the weekend, but I feel like I've learnt that I am ready to take the next step. I've got two or three things to work on, my short game especially. I am excited about the next few months.This game is a complete learning experience."

Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington - who missed the cut at Oakmont - and Clarke play in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut this week, while Paul McGinley, after a two-week break, returns to competition in the BMW International in Munich where he is joined by Damien McGrane, Peter Lawrie and Gary Murphy.