'Nerves, what nerves?

I'm a guy who embraces the high-pressure scenarios," declared Graeme McDowell. You need a strong constitution for this Ryder Cup lark . . . particularly when you have to pose with the rest of your team-mates in a tartan jacket that would make some of Liberace's rig-oots look positively sombre.

McDowell is hoping to be dressed for success here at Gleneagles. This will be his fourth appearance in the transatlantic tussle and the 35-year-old is certainly up for the fight over the PGA Centenary Course. These are the moments he relishes; the cut and thrust, and the nip and tuck. It doesn't get much more intense than this. "The three Ryder Cups to this point have been the greatest golf experiences of my life," said the former US Open champion.

In 2010, McDowell was the man who carried the weight of a continent on his broad shoulders. It was the kind of hefty burden Atlas used to prop up, but McDowell stood firm and, in the very last match of that tight affair at Celtic Manor, he managed to stave off Hunter Mahan in the closing singles to clinch a one-point victory for Europe.

Two years later, he stepped up to the plate again, this time on the opening day, as he blasted away Team Europe's opening tee-shot in the roaring cauldron at Medinah. These arenas are not for the faint-hearted. Even fidgeting and hovering about in a maternity ward as his wife was due to give birth to their first child recently was a walk in the park compared to the anguish-laden anticipation of what can lie ahead in a Ryder Cup.

"I thought I would be nervous going into the delivery room four weeks ago, but that back nine against Hunter Mahan? I don't think I will be as tight and as nervous again in my life," reflected McDowell. "Hitting the first tee shot at Medinah was bizarre. The noise level before had peaked - and then it went deathly silent. I've been fortunate, it's fun to hit the first shot in a Ryder Cup . . . but it's more fun to hit the last putt."

This resolve and mental fortitude is what separates some of the best from the rest and for McDowell it is something of a homespun attribute. "I've been lucky to hit a few good shots under the gun in my career," added McDowell, who has five points from his 12 Ryder Cup appearances. "When you do succeed in that environment, they are very, very rewarding experiences. I've been blessed with, thankfully, some level of fortitude. I sometimes wonder where I got it from and I think the last 10 years or so it's come from my mother. She's a pretty tough cookie and an MS sufferer. The one thing she did give me is certainly perspective and some strength of mind. I would love to get the chance to test that out again this week.

"The great thing about a Ryder Cup is that it's Sunday afternoon pressure from the first tee shot on Friday. There's nothing quite like that in golf, that pressure and nervousness, to focus the mind and ask questions of yourself. I'm looking forward to answering some of those questions this weekend."

One major question that many are wanting answered is whether McDowell will partner fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy again this week. Paul McGinley, the European skipper, has already hinted that the alliance won't be renewed this week and McDowell himself feels like it is a partnership that has perhaps run its course. McDowell was always viewed as this big brother figure, the guiding arm round the shoulder when a young McIlroy was finding his feet in the professional scene. Rory has rocketed since then, of course, and the boy wonder is now a man on top of the world. Trying to keep up with him these days is like chasing down an express train with a handcar.

"The dynamic has changed significantly since we first played together," said McDowell, who could forge a new partnership with Ryder Cup rookie Victor Dubuisson this week.

"Rory is a four-time major winner and the world's No 1. He would now be the leader of the two of us. Perhaps I'm the kind of guy that needs that leadership role, who needs to feel like he is on a level with the guy he is playing with.

"A couple of years ago. I found the better-ball format with Rory quite difficult. He's standing there beating it 350 yards down the middle. I put my tee in the ground and was thinking, 'there's not really much point hitting this'. I found myself throwing myself at it and it didn't help my game. I still think we could play foursomes together. I'd love to play off his tee-shot - 350 down the middle works every time.

"I've spoken to McGinley about this, as he felt the same about his partnership with [Padraig] Harrington. They gelled well in their early days but when Harrington became the star, the dynamic changed from a tactical point of view. It just didn't work so well anymore. I kind of feel that's how Rory and I are viewing this week. I think that's a great thing and a bad thing on our team; there are so many options and the pairings are not so obvious."

With this kind of strength in depth at his disposal, it's not a bad problem for McGinley to have.