LEE ROLLS BACK YEARS
VETERAN LEE, 47, SECURES EUROPEAN TOUR TOP SPOT
LEE WESTWOOD was crowned king of Europe – 20 years after he first claimed the title – following a dramatic finish in Dubai yesterday.
Fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick won the £ 2.2million first prize in the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, and appeared on course to finish top of the Order of Merit as well.
But birdies by the 47- year- old Westwood at the 16th and 18th, and a double- bogey by Laurie Canter at the 17th, saw the former world No1 grab second place in the tournament and snatch the overall Race To Dubai crown by just 17.8 points.
He became the oldest man to finish top of the money list, surpassing Colin Montgomerie, who was 42 when he won the last of his eight titles in 2005.
A stunned Westwood said: “It’s difficult to take it all in.
“It’s been a bizarre year for so many reasons and the European Tour, first and foremost, have done an incredible job to pick the season up again from July when I hosted the British Masters.
“It was a great finish – it’s always exciting this tournament coming down the stretch.
“Thrills and spills, the Race to Dubai up for grabs and the tournament up for grabs.
“It’s been 20 years since I sat there at Valderrama and finished second in the American Express Championship to win the Volvo Order of Merit, as it was back then.
“I won here in 2009 to win the Race to Dubai and now I’ve finished second to win it today.
“It’s not getting any easier and I’m just enjoying playing golf against these great young players.”
Patrick Reed had looked on course to become the first
American to top the money list on this side of the Atlantic when he chipped in for birdie on the 15th to move into second place in the tournament.
But bogeys at the 16th and 17th cost him as he wound up in joint third spot with Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
The 2018 Masters champion was 460 points clear of the rest at the start of the week. But with 2,000 points on offer to the winner, it was always mathematically possible for 61 of the 65- man field to finish top.
And it was Westwood who took advantage to surge through the field and claim the coveted prize at the end of a season dominated by coronavirus.
The pandemic also meant the Ryder Cup was pushed back to 2021. Westwood had hoped to be included in the European team this year and still has designs on being in it next September.
But he revealed afterwards that he also has a burning desire to step up and turn his remarkable playing record against the Americans into a successful one as leader of the European pack.
“At some point I’m hoping the captaincy is going to be offered,” Westwood said. “I’ve played 10 Ryder Cups and at certain times you have to move into different chapters of your life.
“But if I did qualify I would give it my all.”