Graeme McDowell didn’t let last week’s struggles at The Masters follow him to Hilton Head, South Carolina as he went on to win the RBC Heritage tournament in a playoff with Webb Simpson. McDowell finished well out of contention at Augusta but returned this week to win the plaid jacket at Harbour Town.

McDowell never shot higher than 71 on the week, and he finished Sunday’s round four-under to force a playoff. Simpson went into Sunday two-shots back of leader Charley Hoffman at nine-under par and managed a round of 71 before missing a par chance in the first playoff hole.

The 27-year-old made two birdies early but went on to make three bogeys to give McDowell a chance. McDowell made a late rush to the top of the leaderboard with a few birdies on his round including a long roll on the 11th hole.

Charley Hoffman held a share of the lead until his approach on the 14th hole found the water. He dropped his club in disgust, and any chance of winning had immediately vanished.

The focus returned to Simpson as he had a putt to end it with a birdie on the final hole but it rolled just past the cup. The miss gave McDowell a shot as they returned to the 18th tee for the second playoff in consecutive tournaments.

After a great drive, McDowell placed a 165-yard second shot just beneath the hole for a great chance at birdie while Simpson missed the green. Simpson’s chip shot rolled seven feet past the hole and he missed his par putt to give McDowell the win.

Here’s a recap of the final round at Harbour Town courtesy of the PGA Tour:

Luke Donald finished tied for third with Kevin Streelman at seven-under while Brandt Snedeker followed his top-ten finish at Augusta by shooting five-over this week. Snedeker finished tied for 59th while Masters’ winner Adam Scott was not in the field.

Graeme McDowell is off to a great start in 2013 and has currently outplayed good friend and fellow countryman Rory McIlroy. McDowell has three top-five finishes this season after his win on Sunday and is currently in sixth-place in the FedEx Cup standings.

The 33-year-old from Northern Ireland finished tied for fifth at the WGC-Match Play Championships before finishing tied for third at Doral. Missing the cut at Augusta had to be disappointing, but he quickly erased his poor showing at The Masters with the big win at Harbour Town on Sunday.

Will Graeme McDowell’s playoff win at the RBC Heritage tournament help him rise to the top of the PGA Tour with The Players Championship right around the corner?

[Image via Keith Allison]

Graeme McDowell Wins RBC Heritage In Playoff [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The 2012 Ryder Cup team for the United States has been finalised with captain Davis Love III completing his 12-man team on Tuesday by selecting Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker (above), Dustin Johnson, and Brandt Snedeker as his four ‘captain’s picks’.

Those choices leave the full 2012 Ryder Cup teams looking something like this:

US - Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker

Europe – Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Justin Rose (England), Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland), Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Francesco Molinari (Italy), Luke Donald (England), Lee Westwood (England), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Peter Hanson (Sweden), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Ian Poulter (England), Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium)

The task now required of Love and Europe captain José María Olazábal will be to blend their 12 individual players into a functional and effective unit. The United States Ryder Cup team has won only one of the last five tournaments, though they did clinch the 2008 title, the last Ryder Cup played on American soil.

This year’s Ryder Cup teams have, in theory, never been stronger. The 24 players on both sides are all from the top 36 in the world ranking with ten of the Americans from the top 20.

Speaking to ESPN about his picks for the 2012 Ryder Cup team, Love said:

“I laid it out early on what I thought we needed and we stuck with it. I need Jim Furyk. I need Steve Stricker. The team will benefit from those guys being in the locker room, being in the team room. Then, you can’t argue with the golf that Brandt and Dustin have been playing. I think they matched up well, and it really did kind of lay right out there for us.”

Do you fancy the US team’s chances in 2012?

2012 Ryder Cup Teams Are In is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tiger Woods, who won last week at Congressional, is headed home early. Woods shot par at the Greenbrier Classic today and missed the cut for the ninth time in his professional career.

Woods said:

“I didn’t quite have it…. I drove it really good today and I just did not have the right feel for the distances. The ball was just going forever. I know we’re at altitude but I just couldn’t get the ball pin high no matter what I did, and subsequently I made some bogeys.”

But Woods isn’t the only big name who won’t be playing on Sunday. Phil Mickelson also missed the cut at Greenbrier.

Mickelson said that he had the same problem as Tiger and just couldn’t find the right distance.

Mickelson said:

“I had my distance control dialed in last week and this week I was hitting the ball so far. I know it’s hot, I know we’re at altitude. My sand wedge is going 142 (yards), 145. Wedge is 160. These are numbers that I don’t normally hit. … I was really, really struggling to get the ball at the right number.”

ESPN reports that Webb Simpson, who won the US Open this year, leads the way after 36 holes 9-under-par.

Simpson said:

“You know, the best thing about today’s round is no bogeys. Played solid. I had chance and it was tough to let a couple get by me on the back nine, but it was nice to birdie the last.”

Jonathan Byrd, Jeff Maggert, Jerry Kelly and Charlie Beljan are all one stroke behind.

Tiger Woods Misses Cut At Greenbrier Classic is a post from: The Inquisitr

Webb Simpson will not be competing in the upcoming British Open. The recent US Open Champion will be skipping the tournament to be with his wife Dowd who is due to give birth in late July.

Simpson said:

“I’m a guy who loves my family, and we’re probably only going to have a couple of more babies… I have the rest of my life to play the British Open.”

This will be the second child for Webb and Dowd. The British Open begins on July 18th in Lancashire, England. Dowd is no longer cleared to travel with Webb so the golfer said that he’ll be spending July in North Carolina.

After Simpson’s US Open win the golfer shot up to fifth in the world rankings. Simpson said that he’d love the chance to win another major at the British Open but in the “grand scheme of life,” he realizes that it isn’t too important.

Simpson said:

“After winning, it’s certainly a little harder not to go, because I’d love to go and try to win another major. But in the grand scheme of things, in the grand scheme of life, it’s a decision that I know that I’ll always be happy that I made.”

Do you think Webb Simpson is making the right decision?

According to the Associated Press, this will be the second time in five years that the US Open champion has missed the British Open. Tiger Woods missed the British Open in 2008 due to an injury.

Webb Simpson Puts Family First, Will Skip British Open is a post from: The Inquisitr

You haven’t seen the last of the bird man. Webb Simpson, who won the U.S. Open yesterday, had his interview interrupted by a man identified only as “Jungle Bird.”

TMZ spoke with the unidentified man after his now infamous cuckooing at the U.S. Open. The bird man admits that he had a few beers before interrupting Simpson and Bob Costas, but said that this wasn’t some drunken stunt. The Jungle Bird said that he jumped in front of the camera in order to get people to think about deforestation.

Bird man said: ”I want people thinking about saving trees.”

The Jungle Bird said that it was surprisingly easy to get on camera. There was plenty of security at the U.S. Open but according to the JB, the security guards were caught up in the moment.

“It was quite easy…. There was security there but everyone was caught up in the moment and they were distracted.”

TMZ reports that the bird man was handed over to the San Francisco Police Department but he was eventually let go because the U.S. Open decided not to press charges.

Here’s the video of the bird man at the U.S. Open.

Did you hear Bird Man’s call to stop deforestation? What do you think of Jungle Bird’s strange protest?

The forest enthusiast said that he didn’t have plans for interrupting any other golf outings, but he will be heading to the House Of Commons in the U.K. to…. make bird noises?

The man said: “The House of Commons is the next port of call.”

Jungle Bird is taking advantage of his new fame. He started a Facebook page and is now selling “Stop Deforestation” T-shirts.

Bird Man At U.S. Open Vows To Strike Again [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The 2012 US Open was Jim Furyk’s and Graeme McDowell’s to give away on Sunday and with two-layers of crystallized fog during Sunday play that is exactly what they did, handing the win to Webb Simpson.

Simpson was four strokes off the lead heading into Sunday play before hitting for four straight birdies starting on No. 6 and ending on No. 9. Simpson then parred out for his second straight two-under-par 68.

Webb Simpson Wins 2012 US Open. Yes That Really Happened is a post from: The Inquisitr