WESTWOOD: USA STARS EARNED SHOT AT GLORY

WHEN it comes to the Race to Dubai, Collin Morikawa never left the shores of America until pitching up at the season finale in the Middle East this week. Now, incredibly, the 23-year-old USPGA champion has the chance to mark his debut in a regular European Tour event by claiming the old Order of Merit.

How does that sit with a tour loyalist like Lee Westwood, in with a shout of winning the Race for a third time? Not the way you might think.

‘I can see why people might consider it weird if he won but we waived the rules on the number of events you have to play for reasons we all understand,’ said the veteran Englishman. ‘I’d rather give him credit for coming over here and playing. He’s seizing his chance to make history owing to his major win and the pandemic.

‘It’s great that Collin and Patrick Reed are here. It’s a good advert for the tournament and shows how much it would mean to them to be the first American to win our Order of Merit.’ How much it would mean to Westwood to win it again, 20 years after his first victory, is plain from the fact he is here despite suffering from a bad back. ‘If it hadn’t been the final event I probably would have taken this week off,’ he admitted. ‘I played too much, and driving up and down Britain during the summer was not good for my back.

‘But I’m having treatment and today I hit 12 drivers on the range without feeling the pain was about to set in. Let’s hope it proves a case of “beware the injured golfer”.’

Reed goes into the season finale, starting tomorrow, in pole position, but Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood and Westwood all have their fate in their own hands, knowing a victory would dislodge the former Masters champion.

‘Obviously Patrick is where we all want to be,’ said Westwood. ‘But there’s so many points on offer and good players that you’re probably going to have to win anyway to claim the overall race.’