PHILIP REIDgets the views of the world number three who is back to make amends for last year's play-off heartbreak.
IF ONLY. If only. A year on from his ball spinning off the 18th green, at the first hole of a play-off, Lee Westwood has returned to the scene of the crime to discover that his former ISM stablemate Ernie Els, the man tasked with tweaking the West Course, had decided it would be a good thing to add a little rough to the spot where the ball rolled back off the putting surface to find a watery grave.
Too late for Westwood, though. A year on, the Englishman – down from world number one to number three – isn’t into lamenting injustices of what might have been; or of playing the blame game.
No one to blame. No one but himself, really. “The wind was out of the right and I over-drew and pitched it further left than I wanted to. It was a poor shot. That was the reason it went in the water, not because there was no rough there. I wouldn’t have gone for it with rough there,” recalled Westwood.
Ah, but he must think about it? He must wonder if only?
“It shouldn’t have gone to a play-off, if I’m being critical of myself; three-putting 16, didn’t birdie 17 going in with a three-iron and then had a five-footer on the last for birdie that I missed. I had my chances. It was my own fault.”
Such an honest analysis is what cuts Westwood apart from many others, and the recent injury to his caddie Billy Foster – who also doubled as his putting coach – has brought its own level of pragmatism.
Foster injured his knee playing football and Australian Mike “Sponge” Waite replaced him on the Englishman’s bag.
“It’s obviously quite disruptive, he (Foster) is an integral part of my team. My game and results have obviously improved the last few years as a result of Billy being on the bag. But I’ve got an able replacement in Sponge. He’s a guy that I think I can get on with, very thorough, lots of experience. He’s won a Major with Michael (Campbell). He’s obviously not Billy, but I’ve got full confidence in him.”
A recent win in the Far East – where he retained the Indonesian Masters – has confirmed Westwood’s well-being, although his last outing in the Players (tied-61st) was somewhat at odds with other performances on the US Tour which featured a third-place in the Masters among four top-five finishes.
“It’s been a decent start to the season,” he observed, although his decision to spend almost two hours on the greens on Tuesday evening might provide a hint on where he needs to yield most dividends over the next four days.
“I felt like I played a lot at the start of the year and done a lot of travelling. So, last week, I really felt like I needed a week off to relax and get my head around things again.
“I spent about an hour and three-quarters (on the greens), just getting used to the speed because I’ve not putted on anything as slow as this for pretty much most of the year.”
So, is there a sense of seeking redemption for last year’s play-off loss? “As a player, you turn up trying to win the golf tournament. You’re not worried about what else is going on and what everybody else does. To be perfectly honest and to be perfectly ruthless, I would rather play brilliant this week and everybody else played crap. But that’s not going to happen.”
Pragmatic to the last, but keen as mustard to contend and win. Typical Westwood. Even with a win Westwood cannot return to number one, but taking the title at the 19th attempt would be prize enough.
