Few will forget Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell when he showed nerves of steel in holing the winning putt for Team Europe against the USA in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, a feat that earned him an MBE in the 2001 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

GMac as he is known began his professional career with a bang, winning the 2002 Volvo Scandinavian Masters in only his fourth start on the circuit, and that using a putter borrowed from his friend and compatriot Darren Clarke.

McDowell is one of six past or present ‘Major’ champions in the field for this year’s Volvo World Match Play Championship, having won the US Open on 2010, the middle one of three European Tour victories that year.

Has eight titles to his name, including the 2010 Tiger Woods Chevron World Challenge; educated at the University of Alabamha, GMac was rated the number-one Collegiate Golfer in the USA in 2001, winning six events and the previous records of two former world number-ones, Tiger Woods and Luke Donald.

McDowell learned his golf on the links courses of Northern Ireland in general and Royal Portrush in particular and is delighted to see the 2012 Irish Open played at his home club, where he is campaigning to have the Open Championship return for the first time since 1951.

Graeme McDowell qualifies for the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship through his Official World Golf Ranking immediately following the US Masters in April.