McDOWELL IMPRESSED BY BULGARIAN VENUE FOR MATCH-PLAY

 NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Graeme McDowell is hoping the Volvo World Match-Play Championship’s pioneering visit to Bulgaria will inspire him to go one better than last year when he finished runner-up to Nicolas Colsaerts.

McDowell was suitably impressed by the quite stunning Thracian Cliffs and Beach Resort ahead of his first-round matches against Stephen Gallacher and Chris Wood in the Seve Ballesteros group, with the top two going through to the weekend knock-out rounds. 

Bulgaria is the 40^th different country to stage a European Tour event, and 2010 US Open Champion McDowell cites that great variety as the tour’s unique selling point.

“This tournament is what The European Tour is all about really,” said McDowell. “We have certainly been taking tournaments to new countries and destinations around the world and really pioneering the professional game. 

“I think the Tour has been a huge influence in Asia and other amazing places around the world. It's cool to be able to come to a place like Bulgaria, somewhere I've never been before, and experience a new culture.  We are introducing this country to golf in many ways and that's what's great about The European Tour.

“The US PGA Tour can be a little one dimensional, great conditions every week; same conditions every week, weather and hotels and restaurants and I think what's great about The European Tour is all new cultures and new environments and new places that we play.  You've got to adapt your game and you've got to dig in there sometimes.

“And the camaraderie that this tour creates is all because of the way we travel, I think that it's what's very unique and it's what's great about this tour and why we are certainly trying to get behind it and try and put it back on the map again as far as getting more sponsors like Volvo in golf

who are really looking to grow the game globally.” 

McDowell, a winner on the PGA Tour just two weeks ago, is hoping to take his winning form to Bulgaria.

“My form is really good,” he continued. “My game is ticking over nicely, taking some nice form, and it’s nice to be back in Europe for a couple weeks.

“This match-play format is obviously a little fickle so you just have to take each game as it comes. You certainly can't take anybody lightly this weekend.

“Chris Wood obviously won earlier in the year at Qatar, good player; I like the way he plays, and Stephen Gallacher is one of those streaky players - when he gets going, he's hard to beat, he's long and strikes it great. 

“There are no easy matches this week, there really isn't. It’s just a case of getting out there and hoping you can get the job done. I don't think there's such a thing as an easy group looking down the list, so just have to put my head down Thursday and Friday and hope for the best really.”

  PROGRAMME OF MATCHES
 

 Thursday                                                           

                                                               

Gonzalo FERNANDEZ-CASTANO v Jamie DONALDSON

Thorbjorn OLESEN v Carl PETTERSSON

Henrik STENSON v Francesco MOLINARI

Branden GRACE v Nicolas COLSAERTS

Bo VAN PELT v  Richard STERNE

Peter HANSON v George COETZEE

Ian POULTER v Thongchai JAIDEE

Graeme McDOWELL v Chris WOOD

                                                               

Friday                                                   

Morning                                                          

DONALDSON v Brett RUMFORD

PETTERSSON v Scott JAMIESON

MOLINARI v Felipe AGUILAR

COLSAERTS v Kiradech APHIBARNRAT

STERNE v Geoff OGILVY

COETZEE v Shane LOWRY

JAIDEE v Thomas AIKEN

WOOD v Stephen GALLACHER

 Afternoon                                                              

FERNANDEZ-CASTANO v RUMFORD

OLESEN v JAMIESON

STENSON v AGUILAR

GRACE v APHIBARNRAT

VAN PELT v OGILVY

HANSON v LOWRY

POULTER v AIKEN

McDOWELL v GALLACHER