Mcdowell happy with position

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Graeme McDowell thought he played “lovely” after shrugging away a sluggish start in Friday’s 2nd round of the US Open.

Graeme McDowell was thrilled with his second-round performance at the US Open which gave him the halfway lead at Pebble Beach.
The Northern Irishman started with bogey-birdie-bogey from the 10th, but finished with a three-under-par 68 for a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa.
McDowell said: “I got off to a sluggish, scrappy start but I made a great putt on 14 for birdie from 30 or 40 feet and that got my day going.
“I played lovely after that. There definitely are some chances out there but the second you get out of position this course can beat you up.”
There was not better example of that than his bogey at the ninth, where his second shot had been delayed as players in the group ahead searched for a lost ball.
After a wait of more than 10 minutes, McDowell finally played his second shot, getting his ball on the green but leaving himself a long birdie putt. He sent it off the green onto the collar and came back some four feet past the hole, still with work to do to with a downhill bogey putt.
“I hit a good drive there and the pin was front right and I said in practice that I was going to leave that (approach) shot on the front edge but in the cross wind today the front of that green wasn’t very inviting and I went for the middle and hit it a little bit past the flag.
“I had a very treacherous two-putt which I three-putted.”
McDowell said he would not let that disappointing end spoil his satisfaction at reaching halfway in the US Open in such good shape.
“Generally, I’m very, very happy with three under par today,” he said.
“It’s great to be in position going into the weekend of a major championship. That’s what I practice for and I’ve just to get through two more tough days on this golf course.
“So I’m just going to try and stay focused and calm about what I’m doing.”

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