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AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - There was a time when the prospect of playing in the same group as Tiger Woods at the Masters might have terrified Graeme McDowell, but not anymore.
Indeed, Woods could now be excused for cursing his bad luck after being drawn to play alongside the in-form McDowell in the first two rounds at Augusta National this week.
While Woods, a four-time winner at Augusta, has struggled to rediscover his best form in the past year, McDowell has gone from strength to strength, often at the expense of Woods.
"I would have been intimidated a couple of years ago but nowadays it's reasonably normal," the 31-year-old Briton told a news conference on Tuesday. "Once you get used to the whole buzz that surrounds him, especially inside the ropes, once you get your head around that, it's pretty normal."
McDowell has good reason not to fear Woods. He won his first major last year when he triumphed in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the same course where Woods had won by a record 15 shots a decade earlier.
The Northern Irishman also drained a putt that clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe against a U.S. team that included Woods, and he finished the season by staring down Woods in the former world number one's own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, coming from four shots behind to win in a playoff.
"I feel like I've played with him enough now to where it's pretty normal I guess." McDowell said. "I've got to go and play my own game Thursday, Friday and let him play his game."
McDowell is currently ranked fifth in the world, two places above Woods, and has a chance of taking over the top spot from Germany's Martin Kaymer when the Masters ends on Sunday.
He has not won any tournaments this year despite playing consistently but said his breakthrough at the U.S. Open had given him the confidence to enter the Masters with real hope.
"I guess 2010 proved to me that I'm good enough. I know where I can go with my game and I guess what last year told me is that I'm on the right path," he said.
"I know that if I can put things together on the right weeks, I'm good enough to win the big tournaments. It's just a belief thing more than anything."
In three previous Augusta appearances, McDowell made the cut once, in 2009 when he finished tied 17th, but said he was only just starting to understand the vagaries of the course.
"When I came here in 2005, it was like, are you kidding me, how did I get around this place," he said.
"There are certain idiosyncrasies of this golf course that you have to understand. Until you come here and hit the iron shots and pitches and see how they react, you can't really believe it until you see it sometimes.
"I've got a pretty good bank of memories now and plenty of good lines in my books and I have a pretty good knowledge base now."
(Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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Indeed, Woods could now be excused for cursing his bad luck after being drawn to play alongside the in-form McDowell in the first two rounds at Augusta National this week.
While Woods, a four-time winner at Augusta, has struggled to rediscover his best form in the past year, McDowell has gone from strength to strength, often at the expense of Woods.
"I would have been intimidated a couple of years ago but nowadays it's reasonably normal," the 31-year-old Briton told a news conference on Tuesday. "Once you get used to the whole buzz that surrounds him, especially inside the ropes, once you get your head around that, it's pretty normal."
McDowell has good reason not to fear Woods. He won his first major last year when he triumphed in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the same course where Woods had won by a record 15 shots a decade earlier.
The Northern Irishman also drained a putt that clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe against a U.S. team that included Woods, and he finished the season by staring down Woods in the former world number one's own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, coming from four shots behind to win in a playoff.
"I feel like I've played with him enough now to where it's pretty normal I guess." McDowell said. "I've got to go and play my own game Thursday, Friday and let him play his game."
McDowell is currently ranked fifth in the world, two places above Woods, and has a chance of taking over the top spot from Germany's Martin Kaymer when the Masters ends on Sunday.
He has not won any tournaments this year despite playing consistently but said his breakthrough at the U.S. Open had given him the confidence to enter the Masters with real hope.
"I guess 2010 proved to me that I'm good enough. I know where I can go with my game and I guess what last year told me is that I'm on the right path," he said.
"I know that if I can put things together on the right weeks, I'm good enough to win the big tournaments. It's just a belief thing more than anything."
In three previous Augusta appearances, McDowell made the cut once, in 2009 when he finished tied 17th, but said he was only just starting to understand the vagaries of the course.
"When I came here in 2005, it was like, are you kidding me, how did I get around this place," he said.
"There are certain idiosyncrasies of this golf course that you have to understand. Until you come here and hit the iron shots and pitches and see how they react, you can't really believe it until you see it sometimes.
"I've got a pretty good bank of memories now and plenty of good lines in my books and I have a pretty good knowledge base now."
(Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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