Graeme McDowell In The Bag: The World Challenge Winning Clubs
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Overnight leader Graeme McDowell fired a four-under-par 68 to end 17-under-par and win the 18-man World Challenge event by three from Keegan Bradley.
Bradley’s 69 was not enough to stop the Northern Irishman claiming his second win at the event, after his maiden World Challenge title in 2010.
Defending champion and host Tiger Woods shot a closing 71 to finish tied for fourth on nine-under-par.
Woods will now take six weeks off to energise himself before the 2013 season. “I’m really looking forward to it, just having nothing to do with golf for a few weeks, put them [the clubs] away, enjoy the holidays and be with my kids. After that I’ll start cranking back up again and start focusing on my shots,” said Woods.
Without a tournament win since his victory at the same event two years ago, McDowell birdied the par-five 2nd with a six-foot putt. A 10-foot birdie at the 10th and a 25-footer across the slope at the 11th put the 33-year-old clear.
But a bogey six at the 13th – only his third of the entire tournament – reduced his advantage to two shots. Both McDowell and Bradley made birdies at the par-5 16th, before McDowell found the deep rough at the back of it the short 17th.
But a wonderfully controlled chip to an inch saved his par, and when Bradley left his 40-footer short it gave McDowell a two-shot cushion up the last, an advantage that he increased with a close approach to set-up another birdie.
“This really caps off my season,” McDowell said. “We try not to put winning on a pedestal, but this one feels very sweet because it’s been a grind all year. Certainly I will draw some confidence from this one. The game hasn’t given me a huge amount this year.”
Here are the clubs that McDowell used to seal his first win in two years:
Driver: Cleveland Classic 290 9.0 degree with Miyazaki Kusala Indigo 52X shaft
Fairway Wood: Cleveland Launcher FL with Miyazaki Kusala 72X shaft
Irons: Srixon Z-TX II Irons, 4-9 irons with Projext X 6.5 shafts
Wedges: Cleveland 588 Forged Wedges – 48, 54 and 58 degree
Putter: Odyssey White Hot #7
Ball: Srixon Z-STAR XV
