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Westwood: I’ve got a lot of good golf left in me
Matchplay star: Lee Westwood is bidding to play in a tenth straight Ryder Cup (photo by Getty Images)
by Graham Otway
Back in the first week of February, when Lee Westwood missed the cut by two shots at the Dubai Desert Classic, his prospects of becoming a Ryder Cup record-holder this year looked bleak.
He had also missed the cut a week earlier at the Abu Dhabi Championship and ended 2015 with disappointing finishes in the limited fields at the DP World Tour Championship and Nedbank Challenge.
Nearly three months down the line, however, there is a spring back in his step after finishing tied for second at the Masters, behind Danny Willett.
And even though last week he reached the ripe old age of 43 and European golf, particularly on the English front, is enriched with a new generation of young stars, Westwood believes that he can continue to be a force in Major championships.
Furthermore, following his divorce and having quit the US Tour last year and moved to Edinburgh to be close to his children, he will now be playing most of his golf again on the European Tour, where Sir Nick Faldo is the only Englishman with a better career tally of wins than his 23. “I gave up my PGA Tour card at the end of last season and I’ll be predominantly on the European Tour,” Westwood told The Golf Paper.
“I’ve never doubted myself but after a few weeks away from golf, after the Desert Classic, I was happy to come back and do OK at the WGC-Dell Match Play and then contend at the Masters.
“I know what I can do. There’s a long time before it’s time to think about the seniors and I feel like I’ve got a lot of good golf in me before then.”
During one of his sessions talking to the media at Augusta, Westwood admitted: “I have been feeling a bit edgy on the greens for a couple of years now and you get under pressure in Augusta when the greens are running 16 or 17 on the stimpmeter, but I still made some nice putts coming in.”
And overall he now insists: “I’m feeling competitive. After a bit of time away from my clubs, it felt good in Austin (at the WGC Matchplay) to be hitting balls every day and I feel like my game is in a good place. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead this year.”
But while he knows that if he does get to play for Europe at Hazeltine in September and becomes the first player to take part in ten successive Ryder Cups for Europe and could yet represent Great Britain at the Olympics, neither goal is at the forefront of his mind.
So close: Westwood could have won the Masters last month (photo by Getty Images)
“It’s only ever the case that you play what’s in front of you and let the rest look after itself. That’s always been my approach,” he said.
“You’re constantly being asked about the Ryder Cup and that’s something I’d never complain about but I’ve been in this position quite a few times before and you have to focus on what gets you there rather than the end goal.
“The same goes for the Olympics. A lot of people are starting to talk about it but I’m just looking forward to building some momentum and seeing what comes with it.”
Should he fail to make Darren Clarke’s team to try to win the Ryder Cup for the fourth time in a row, Westwood does not want to be left supporting Europe’s efforts on a sofa in front of his television set.
“After nine straight I won’t be happy the first time I’m not involved, obviously,” he said. “But, first and foremost, I’m a huge fan of Europe and I want them to win.
“And I’ve already said that I’d like to be there in some capacity and I’d like to be vice-captain if I’m not a part of the team. Fingers crossed, the TV can wait.”
More positively, however, Westwood insisted that he still has a ravishing hunger to win events and that his Augusta performance is evidence that he can still do it.
“ It’s something that never leaves you,” he said when asked about that hunger. “I feel the same as I always have about getting myself in shape to be the best I can and compete.
“And I’d be lying if I said that that kind of week at the Masters doesn’t give me a boost. At times Augusta was as hard as I’ve seen it and for my game to hold up the way it did was really pleasing. I’m hoping it’s just the start for me this year.”
*This article was originally published in TGP 4 May 2016.
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