Lee is not far short of Seve
LEE WESTWOOD showed the short-game genius of the great Seve Ballesteros at the BMW PGA as he played a “ridiculous” round.
The Worksop Wonder hit only one green in regulation in his first 14 holes at Wentworth with his usually metronomic long game.
But he got up and down 10 out of 11 times – and needed only 23 putts as he closed with three consecutive birdies in his crazy level-par 72.
He sits three shots behind Aussie leader Andrew Dodt on fiveunder as he seeks to win here at his 24th attempt.
Westwood, whose caddie Billy Foster used to carry for Ballesteros, a two-time PGA winner at Wentworth, said: “He said the spirit of Seve was with me today. I hit it poorly and Billy said he’s not seen an exhibition of short game and scrambling and putting since he caddied for Seve 25 years ago.
“It felt odd, it was not like me, but in a nice way. I had gone through the frustrated and semiangry stage and into the comical laughing at myself, wondering what was coming next, stage.
Fun
“But it was fun to walk off with par. After I got up-and-down on the 14th green, we were just laughing at each other as it was so ridiculous. I hit one green. I was missing by a mile.
“When I holed my birdie putt on the last, Billy didn’t say well played or anything, he just went ‘23 putts!’.”