McDowell Ends Drought With Win

Graeme McDowell ended a four-year drought with victory in the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic. The Northern Irishman held his nerve in the final round, picking up five birdies and two bogeys to card a closing 69 and finish the tournament on 18 under par.

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McDowell just edged out playing partner, American Chris Stroud, by a shot, while Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes also finished the tournament on 17 under. McDowell produced a fabulous tee shot on the par three 16th, that resulted in a birdie, and proved to be decisive for the former US Open champion.

“It’s been a rough few years,” the 39-year-old said. “It’s been a grind. On 16 green, I said to myself, ‘You’ve got to do something that’s tournament-winning’. The shot to 17 was tournament-winning level. “I’ve been struggling with my long-iron play all week, medium and long-iron play. It’s a shot I’ve been working on on the range the last few days and it was a perfect six iron, it was a perfect number for me and when it came off the bat I knew it was pretty good.”