Marcus Fraser - Quotes of the day
25 April 2010Els determined to take it easy
22 April 2010Jaidee primed for title defence
22 April 2010Yang Returns home feeling like a Champion
20 April 2010At the 19th hole with.... MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ
30 March 2010Graeme McDowell’s Pre-tournament Interview
22 March 2010Els move back into World's Top 10
19 March 2010Champion Thongchai relishing Korean title defence
18 March 2010Ballantine’s keeps an eye on the form of its star players in a weekly blog on the Road to Jeju...
10 March 2010Five questions for Graeme McDowell
19 February 2010Graeme McDowell on who is Leaving an Impression in golf
11 January 2010Graeme McDowell discusses the world of golf and how it has left an impression on him.
What were your earliest memories of watching golf,
either in person or on television?
It would be staying up late to watch The Masters on the BBC. I
guess it would have been around the late 1980s at the time when a
lot of European players like Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo were doing
brilliantly over there. In those days before Sky TV there wasn't a
lot of golf on television so watching The Masters was really
exciting and it really left an impression.
Did you have a golfing idol growing up?
There was a guy in Belfast called Gareth McKimsey who was a
fantastic amateur player who was someone I tried to emulate growing
up. He was certainly good enough to turn professional but he didn't
go down that road for whatever reason.
What do you admire most about the sport?
The way it's played in general, from professionals down to club
players, is very sporting. Even in the most pressured situations
guys call shots on themselves and show a lot of class and
sportsmanship. I think golf can be proud of that.
And what about courses around the world that have left an
impression on you?
It would have to be Augusta. I played there for the first time in
2005 and it's just a wonderful place with a magical feeling. It was
certainly one of my lifetime ambitions to play there in the
Masters. I was lucky enough to go back there with my dad last year
and we played the course together which is a wonderful
memory.
And if you could only play one more round, where would
that be?
I'd have to say Portrush, where I grew up. Just a wonderful golf
course with a lot of happy memories.