Graeme McDowell chose the perfect city in Milan to outline his pure class. The 24-year-old’s triumph in the Italian Open was a testimony to quality, determination, professionalism and style.
The first time I saw Graeme and saw that impish smile in his eyes and took in everything he had achieved in American collegiate golf, I believed we had stumbled across an unpolished gem capable of at least emulating the achievements of his fellow Ulsterman Darren Clarke.
Now I know he can because he has one quality that outstrips the rest - desire. Graeme wants it and at the weekend he went a long way to showing just how much.
Graeme’s first win on Tour, in Sweden during his rookie year, came perhaps faster than he expected and afterwards came a time for consolidation and re-appraisal. He decided that if he was going to go as far down the road as he wanted to then he would have to make changes to his swing.
And so he did with the help of a certain Las Vegas-based coach of the name of Butch Harmon, he re-modelled his game so that when the tough and pressure moments came, he would be better-equipped to deal with them.
Everything he has done was vindicated this Bank Holiday Monday morning as he beat Thomas Levet in a play-off - no mean achievement considering the last time the Frenchman was in a play-off the prize was a certain silver claret jug.
Graeme will now have to make another re-assessment. This time of his goals for the season because he has moved his own bar higher and will have to consider what is next on his list.
One thing is for sure, this personable young man, can go just as far as he wants to do. He may look laid-back, but the perception is slightly false because I have rarely come across anybody with so much self drive.
It may be quite some way yet off the finished product, but our diamond is really sparkling now. And you can expect some more glitter to come very soon, not just from Graeme, but also young South African Charl Schwartzel, who added another top 10 finish to his CV in Milan.
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