Leaving it to fate
Westwood hopes lucky No. 53 could see him end wait for Masters title
FATE could decide if Lee Westwood’s agonising wait for a first Major comes to an end at this week’s Masters.
Westwood has five top-three finishes in the last 10 Majors.
And he will slip on a Green Jacket on Sunday if an incredible tale of coincidence continues.
The last three Masters tournaments to finish on Easter Sunday have been won by players whose caddies were wearing No. 53 on Augusta’s trademark white boiler suits.
And Westy’s bagman Billy Foster has 53 on his chest this week.
Angel Cabrera was the most recent Easter champ in 2009, following in the footsteps of 2007 winner Zach Johnson and 2004 champion Phil Mickelson.
Foster was amazed and delighted when the bizarre coincidence was pointed out.
He said: “I didn’t have a clue that this was such a lucky number – we’d better do our best to keep the sequence going then!
“We all know Lee’s got the game to do it from the way he played two years ago when he was runner-up to Phil.
“Lee played the course beautifully and his score would have been good enough to win The Masters in most years. We just came up against someone playing out of his skin.
“Lee’s hitting the ball lovely at the moment so you’ve got to give him a big chance. If fate decided to lend a helping hand that would be nice.
“I’m not particularly superstitious and neither is Lee. But that could change if he slips on the Green Jacket on Sunday.”
Foster, 46, is one of the most respected caddies in the game and has carried the bags of some of the greats – including Seve Ballesteros, Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia.
And he even caddied for Tiger Woods at a Presidents Cup when Steve Williams was injured.
He added: “I’ve caddied for a couple of Major winners in Seve and Darren, but not when they won their Majors.
“It’s been a long wait. I’ve been caddying for 30 years now and it’s about time I saw my man win one of the big ones. I’d be thrilled if Lee did it here. He’s been knocking on the door for so long that it’s got to open for him soon.”
Westwood, who had Ant ’n Dec as his caddies for yesterday’s par-3 competition, finished on 13-under two years ago – a total that would have won the previous eight Masters.
He shot sub-par rounds all four days but came up against an inspired Mickelson, who hit back-to-back 67s over the weekend to beat him by three shots.
Westy, 38, said: “I look back on that as a positive as it proved I can play this course well and break par when the heat’s really on.
“It was just a case of Phil playing unbelievable golf. I’ve been close in so many Majors now. I’m sure my time will come.”