GOLF:AS LEE Westwood produced his best putting round for nearly two years to ease into form ahead of next week's US PGA, Tiger Woods produced a remarkable comeback after 12 weeks on the sidelines.
The former world number one, playing alongside a disappointing Darren Clarke (77) in his first start since he limped out after just nine holes of the Players Championship last May, showed few signs of rustiness following his injury lay-off as he opened with a two under par 68.
Currently 28th in the world, Woods holed a 17 footer for par at the third, a six footer at the eighth and a 20 footer at the ninth to turn in level par before picking up two shots on the way home by sandwiching birdies at the 10th, 11th and 16th between a lone bogey at the 14th.
His two under effort left him tied with the likes of US Open champion Rory McIlroy but while he finish the day five strokes behind clubhouse leader Jason Day, who carded an immaculate 63, it was a performance that will have raised a few eyebrows amongst his peers.
As for Westwood, the 38-year old from Worksop looked on enviously as stablemates McIroy and Clarke broke their major ducks in the space of five weeks.
Having missed the cut in the Open at Sandwich, Westwood decided that he simply had to improve his putting and his mental game and immediately sought the help of the men who were instrumental in McIlroy’s US Open romp and Clarke’s emotional major breakthrough at Royal St George’s — putting guru Dave Stockton and sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella.
After seeing Rotella last Sunday and making technical adjustments to his putting with Stockton, Westwood opened with a three under par 67 and declared that he hadn’t putted as well since he won the 2009 Dubai World Championship.
While he three putted twice from long range for bogeys, he holed five birdie putts in his three under par effort and confessed that it was pure stubbornness that prevented him seeking the help of a shrink in the past.
“I’ve won a couple of times this year, lost in a play-off for the PGA and finished third in the US Open and I haven’t had a good putting week yet,” he said. “I don’t want to sound big headed but I keep going round in circles and I haven’t had a good putting week since Dubai in 2009 and that is not good enough.
“You are going to be falling behind all these fellas because you can’t give them that much of an advantage on the greens. I just haven’t been making enough putts and that becomes frustrating and that filters down through the rest of your game.
“I work hard and part of what Bob (Rotella) was saying to me on Sunday was that you work hard to be able to stand on the golf course and let it go, free wheel and that’s what I did today.” Playing alongside Graeme McDowell, who carded a disappointing 71, Westwood birdied the 11th but then three-putted the 13th when he found himself thinking too much over the ball. He had another three-putt bogey at the fourth, his 13th, but the rest was putting gold as he rolled in putts for birdie at the first, second, fifth and sixth in what he described probably his best putting round since that Dubai World Championship win at the end of 2009. “It’s a psychological change in how I’m thinking about getting up and standing over the ball but a bit of mechanics with my hand position and grip tension and stuff like that. It is hard to think about when you’re not supposed to be thinking about anything.
“So it wasn’t a surprise that a few times out there I caught myself thinking too much but I can live with that. It is just going to take a few rounds to groove I suppose. You can go round in circles and that can make it worse so it is good to have a few new ideas to take out there.”
Clubhouse leader Day, runner- up in the Masters and the US Open already this year, had seven birdies in an immaculate seven under par 63 to lead by three shots with compatriot Adam Scott eight under with playing the 18th.
But it was a day to forget for Open champion Clarke. Three over after seven, he holed out from 184 yards for an eagle two at the eighth, but bogeyed the 10th and 11th to slip to three over par before running up a double bogey seven at the 16th when his approach came up short in the lake fronting the green. To add insult to injury, he bogeyed the last as well and signed for a seven over 77.
Pádraig Harrington hit just six fairways and only seven greens in a one over par 71 that saw him mix birdies at the 12th and sixth (his third and 15th) with bogeys off wayward drives at the 13th, 17th and 18th.
