McDowell reveals panic over locked trophy case
US Open winner Graeme McDowell revealed tonight how he was hit by panic after the combination for his trophy case lock was lost.
The Irish golfer’s helpers tried six times to open the carrier after the combination went missing as he arrived back in the UK.
Bolt cutters were eventually used to cut the lock in London after a greenkeeper from Leatherhead Golf Club arrived.
The drama capped a whirlwind week for the Portrush-born star. McDowell is the first European for 40 years to win the prestigious trophy and among the first to congratulate him were the previous holder Tony Jacklin and Irish actor Jimmy Nesbitt.
He said: “I can’t get my head round it really.”
McDowell, 30, arrived in his home town in Co Antrim to the adulation of friends and family tonight. He said Sunday’s win by a shot was a dream come true.
“I always dreamed big and you have got to work and practice hard. I believed deep down inside that I could do something big, I dreamed of winning a Major championship,” he added.
McDowell said he was overwhelmed by the congratulations he had received and said fellow north coast man Jimmy Nesbitt's text message was special.
“He was pretty pumped up for me about making a small country up here very proud,” he added.
Fellow Irish golf star Padraig Harrington was among the first to greet him while Jacklin emailed him. His website crashed because 30,000 people logged on.
Fellow Irish golfing sensation Rory McIlroy warmly congratulated him today after he returned to Ireland.
Children held banners and people kissed the trophy as he waded through a scrum of people outside the compact clubhouse.
“It has been an unbelievable response from people,” McDowell added.
Members of his family were there to savour the moment. His father Kenny travelled with him from Pebble Beach, Monterey, California, and brothers Gary and George, uncles and grandmother were in the clubhouse at Rathmore, where he first played as a nine-year-old.
“It is certainly something I have stood out on the putting green in the back of the clubhouse and thought long and hard about when I was a kid,” he said.
His triumph came eight years after his first tee shot as a professional and he admitted he had enjoyed ups and downs during his short career.
“You have got to take the rough with the smooth, sometimes you learn more from the tough times than the good times,” he added.
He said the victory would inspire him even more.
“It is important to put this in perspective for myself. My brain can’t quite get to grips with it right now, it is a lot to take in.”
