Dating Graeme McDowell has its perks.
This Monday, after the British Open, McDowell’s girlfriend, Kristin Stape, accompanied him to a Zurich outing at Celtic Manor, site of McDowell’s Ryder Cup heroics. At the 16th hole there during Sunday singles two years ago, McDowell holed a critical 15-foot birdie putt to set up Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph. It was voted the European Tour’s Shot of the Year.
After the Zurich outing, Stape, an American, asked for a personal tour of the famed site.
“She wanted to see the 16th and 17th holes herself because she had heard so much about them,” McDowell said. “So, we swung down and showed her the scene of the crime. Obviously, it’s a special place and was a special moment in my career.”
McDowell didn’t try to duplicate the putt. He watched the pitfall of attempts to relive that moment when he played the Wales Open pro-am in a return to Celtic Manor a year ago.
“They had the putt set up for everyone to have a go at it, but they didn’t get it right,” McDowell said. “It was just about unmake-able. The pin location was in a slightly different spot, but it is always nice to go back there.”