McDowell claims Top Spot for March

Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland has been named as The European Tour Golfer of the Month for March following his victory in the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship at Pinx Golf Club, Jeju Island, Korea. McDowell captured his third European Tour title after a sudden-death play-off with Jeev Milkha Singh of India, producing a magnificent seven iron approach from 179 yards to 12 inches for a tap-in birdie at the third extra hole. The Ulsterman won the March Award ahead of several notable contenders, including Frenchman Thomas Levet, who showed he has recovered from vertigo by winning the MAPFRE Open de Andalucia by Valle Romano – also in a play-off from England’s Oliver Fisher. Also in the running were India’s Arjun Atwal, winner of the Maybank Malaysian Open; Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth, who claimed the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal and Bernhard Langer of Germany, who heads the US Champions Tour money list after his victories in the Toshiba Classic and the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort. McDowell admitted that the shot to win the play-off was “definitely up there” with the best he has hit in his professional career. He said: “There’s no doubt it's in my top five best shots I’ve ever hit under the gun. “In the play-off, Jeev looked like he had hit it pretty close and I had a similar yardage to what I had the second time around and I knew a seven iron was obviously perfect. This time I just had to make sure I aimed right at the flag, and it came off perfectly. The second I hit it, I thought it was the right club.” Other monthly winners in 2008 have been Germany’s Martin Kaymer (January) and Mark Brown of New Zealand (February). At the end of the year, all the monthly winners will be considered for the award of The European Tour Golfer of the Year.