INVERNESS, Scotland – Nearly a week ago, Graeme McDowell was leaving France disappointed. Instead of competing for a third title at the French Open, a tournament McDowell won in 2013 and ’14, the 36-year-old was making an early exit after missing the cut.
The silver lining? The missed cut provided McDowell a chance to visit Royal Troon, site of next week’s British Open and a course he hasn’t seen since the second round of the 2004 British Open.
Whether or not that extra work pays off in a week’s time is unknown, but the scouting trip did prove useful on Thursday.