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I find this course quite difficult, says McDowell

DUBAI - Graeme McDowell was left to rue some slack shots approaching the turn for home as his bid to win the Race to Dubai skewed off course.

The Northern Irishman trailed rival Martin Kaymer by five strokes as he teed off on the second day of the Dubai World Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.

He began making inroads into that deficit through the first seven holes too, until his game – and perhaps ultimately his challenge – began to unravel alarmingly on the way back to the clubhouse.

“At the middle of the eighth fairway, with an eight-iron in my hands, I missed the green right and I made bogey there,” McDowell explained. “Then, at the middle of the ninth fairway, with a seven-iron in my hands, I missed the green right and made bogey there. I was just very quick to lose patience with myself out there because I knew I needed to do something. I just lost control of the golf ball and couldn’t get it going on the back nine at all. I’m very disappointed with those last 11 holes.”

McDowell’s decision to play at the Hong Kong Open last week appears to have backfired drastically, with the cumulative effects of fatigue catching up with him at an important stage and unforgiving venue.

“I just don’t think I have a huge amount in the tank,” he conceded. “My patience was very quick to go out there.

“I find this golf course quite difficult. The second I get out of position, I find it tough to scramble around here.

“I’m just not putting the greens very well as they’re very grainy and tough to read. Unless I’m knocking the pins down, I’m having a tough time out there.”

A draining mix of exhaustion and frustration unquestionably has left the 31–year-old well off the pace at one-over par, but he isn’t about to throw in the towel in his quest to topple Kaymer.

“There are enough good shots to give myself a chance on the weekend, but I’ve got to stay a little more patient out there,” McDowell added.

“Those two bad swings just threw me off a little bit, but I’m hitting the ball pretty well. I just need to keep my head screwed on more and make a few putts. I’ve got to putt better than I’m putting right now. It’s not over. 65-65 is not out of the question. I’m going to give it 100 per cent. I’m going to give it everything I have left this weekend and try to pour every last ounce of energy I have into it.”