GOLF NEWS:NEW WORLD number four Graeme McDowell has reaffirmed his goal of continuing his rapid rise up the rankings until he eventually takes over the top spot.
Twelve months ago, McDowell was ranked 40th and more concerned on holding his place inside the top-50 just to be assured of playing all four majors.
How times have changed. The US Open champion now shares fourth place in the latest world rankings with American Phil Mickelson, just behind Germany’s Martin Kaymer in third place with Tiger Woods (second) and Lee Westwood (first) the other players ahead of him.
After four wins last season and a strong showing at the recent 2011 USPGA Tour season opener in Hawaii, the 31-year-old has set his sights firmly on the top rung of the ladder.
“To be joint number four in the world is great and what a great way to start the new year,” McDowell said in Abu Dhabi yesterday. “It’s amazing and it’s beyond my wildest dreams, and besides it’s something that I always wanted to achieve and that’s to get myself as high up the rankings as possible.
“Now that I am there it is important to stay there and also to improve. The big key for me now is to try and maintain that type of form over the next two years and beyond then I will feel as though I am one of the world’s best.”
Despite his lofty position, McDowell is not content with settling for what he has achieved and is looking to capitalise on his window of opportunity.
“I’ve said before that in the past achieving number one in the world didn’t always seem possible as we were playing in the Tiger Woods era,” McDowell added. “But now it is achievable and I would be lying if I stood here and said I was not believing I could be the best player in the world as some point in my career.”
This week McDowell joins US Masters winner Mickelson and eight other Irish players in the Abu Dhabi Championship which starts tomorrow – Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Gareth Maybin, Damien McGrane, Michael Hoey and Paul McGinley.
WGC-World Matchplay champion Ian Poulter has called for a change to the European Ryder Cup qualifying system.
Last year the top four players on the world points list qualified first before the leading five on the European points list not already in the team made up the automatic nine members of the 12-man team that were finally supplemented by three wild-card choices.
Poulter wants the emphasis switched because the world points favour those competing full-time outside of Europe, even though it could cost him a place in the side.
“I would like the two tables to be flipped,” he said yesterday after Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal was appointed captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup in Medinah, near Chicago. “Looking at the last two Ryder Cups, if you took the Race to Dubai European points first and the world ranking points list second you would get the strongest side. But whether or not that happens (next year) we’ll have to wait and see.”
McDowell was undecided whether any adjustments were needed. “It (a change) would put more emphasis on the European Tour and I kind of agree,” he said.
“The European Tour puts so much into the Ryder Cup that perhaps the emphasis should be on the European Tour and guys should show a commitment to this tour and be rewarded accordingly. But it’s a difficult one. You want the 12 best players. Golf is such a global game now, whether you’re a European Tour player full-time or not, or you’re a PGA Tour member or a dual member, you’re still going to play the majors and WGCs and the best events around the world,” added McDowell.
