McDowell takes the Challenge
BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press
Monday, December 03, 2012
12/03/12 at 3:13 AM
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Graeme McDowell could think of no better way to head home for a 10-week holiday than to win for the first time in two years.
Even with the Sherwood Country Club course playing longer than ever in a light rain, McDowell closed with a 4-under 68 on Sunday and held off Keegan Bradley with a pair of superb short-game shots that carried him to a three-shot win in the World Challenge.
It was the 10th time in 12 rounds at Sherwood that McDowell has shot in the 60s, and he extended his dominance on the course that Jack Nicklaus carved out among the foothills of Conejo Valley.
In three appearances, McDowell has two victories and a runner-up finish.
But this one was meaningful in its own right.
"This really caps off my season," McDowell said. "It's been a grind all year."
McDowell's victory was his first since he beat Tiger Woods in a playoff at Sherwood to close out a dream season in 2010, a season that included his first major at the U.S. Open and the winning point for Europe at the Ryder Cup.
This win followed a year of frustration. He played in the final group of the U.S. Open and British Open but came up short.
Bradley, who was within one shot after a birdie on the fifth hole, closed with a 69. Tulsa-area resident Bo Van Pelt had a 70 to finish third. Woods, the tournament host and five-time champion, was never in the picture. He didn't make birdie until the 13th hole and shot 71 to tie for fourth.
Bradley's birdie on the 13th hole for a two-shot swing brought him within two shots with five holes to play. McDowell didn't let him get any closer, however. He hit a beautiful lag putt from 75 feet just off the green at No. 14 for an easy par, then hit a chip from behind the 17th green that he was hopeful of getting within 6 feet of the cup. The ball was one turn from falling for birdie.
McDowell made a 6-foot birdie on the 18th that he didn't really need to finish on 17-under 271 and earn $1 million against the 18-man field.
A light rain fell for much of the round, as it has all week, making Sherwood play so long that McDowell had to hit a 5-wood into the par-4 fourth hole, and a 4-iron for his third shot in the par-5 fifth.
Woods needed a fast start and was stuck in neutral. He failed to birdie the par 5s on the front nine and dropped a shot on the seventh hole when his flop shot below the green came out heavy. He didn't make his first birdie until the par-5 13th.
"I struggled with my game a little bit this week," said Woods, playing for the first time in five weeks. "I just managed myself well to get around in these conditions."
Van Pelt opened with two birdies and tried to hang around in contention on the back nine.
