Westwood and Willett stay calm in the storm
Two of a kind bring the best out of each other, writes Oliver Brown at Hazeltine National
Two peas in a pod, Lee Westwood and Danny Willett. They share the same bone-dry, cheeky-chappie wit, the same management company, and the same unquenchable thirst to prove their detractors wrong.
For Westwood, this was a quest not merely to resurrect his own form but to cement a place in history. A win here, he recognised, would vault him beyond Colin Montgomerie into second place on the all-time Ryder Cup points list. Willett, by contrast, simply craved the first point of his career, in a week where he has been the butt of the worst insults the local fans could muster. It was a bold call by Darren Clarke to send Westwood back into the fray, given how dismally he had performed in the first day’s foursomes. A Ryder Cup competitor of his pedigree, though, hardly deserves to have his record expunged overnight. One could tell last night that he was on a mission. As he drained a 25-foot putt at the seventh for a third straight birdie, he delivered an upper-cut worthy of his fellow son of Nottinghamshire, Carl Froch.
The sight of Westwood in full cry recalled some of his greatest moments on this stage. Memories remain indelible of his two victories with Clarke at the K Club in 2006, after his friend had just lost wife Heather to breast cancer, or of his seven (yes, count them) wins over Tiger Woods.
He has been a stalwart of this European side ever since the days of Seve Ballesteros. As a cherubic youngster, he made his debut at Valderrama in 1997, and still managed two wins despite the stress of being paired with Sir Nick Faldo. Westwood deserves all the plaudits, too, for his contributions to the famous European triumphs of 2010 and 2012.
He dovetailed wonderfully with Luke Donald at Celtic Manor, thrashing Woods and Steve Stricker. Plus, with the ‘Miracle of Medinah’ still to be achieved, he delivered the win over Matt Kuchar that pulled his team level.
When you have played 10 Ryder Cups, neither the amphitheatre of the first tee nor the brickbats from lairy American galleries can distract you unduly. Westwood was understandably upset by his abject foursomes showing, which prompted Clarke to rest him
for 24 hours, but he emerged for last night’s session a man rejuvenated. The smiles were back. So, too, was the swagger.
Willett, likewise, was inspired as the pair combined to neuter the brutish hitting of JB Holmes and Ryan Moore, weighing in with two birdies in the first three holes. In a reflection of their potent dynamic, they high-fived between almost every hole. Once, Westwood would have been antagonised by the crowd’s excesses. After all, this is the man who looked distraught in the wake of his ordeal in Louisville in 2008, saying many of the comments flung at him had been “shameful”.
Here at Hazeltine, calmness has been the watchword. Westwood has had a close relationship with Clarke for the best part of three decades, with the captain relying on him as a sixth vicecaptain. Their personalities complement each other intriguingly.
Where Clarke is a notoriously prickly customer, Westwood is, in the words of his own manager Chubby Chandler, somebody who drifts through life at his own pace. As Clarke’s playing days have declined since his famous Open triumph of 2011, the two have become ever closer.
Willett, who belongs to the same stable at Chandler’s International Sports Management, appeared the perfect partner for Westwood with the stakes so high. But the anxieties as they approached the clubhouse were palpable, as Westwood deposited his teeshot at the par-three 13th straight into the drink. Willett came to his rescue with an exquisitely-judged six-iron, but a birdie for Holmes brought the match back to all square.
It is unfortunate that Willett’s recollections of this Ryder Cup are likely to be disfigured by the abuse he has taken for his brother Pete’s disparaging comments about American supporters.
But there are few characters more resilient than this wisecracking 28-year-old. He proved his mettle emphatically enough at Augusta this year, holding his nerve over the closing stretch to become the first British winner of the Green Jacket since Faldo.
That week in Georgia, Willett enjoyed the company of another knight of the realm, in Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Manchester United manager told him, in no uncertain terms, that he should not be satisfied with what he had just accomplished, that he ought to continue striving for more.
This resolve was only too evident last night as Willett tried desperately to make a name for himself after a tumultuous few days in Minneapolis. Both he and Westwood proved that they were never stronger than when backed into a corner.
When you have played 10 Ryder Cups no lairy American galleries can distract you unduly