WESTWOOD ON COURSE FOR SON’S AUGUSTA BIRTHDAY GIFT

EVERY father wants to impress his son with something special for an 18th birthday present, and Lee Westwood is well on his way to hitting the jackpot regarding his boy Sam. For a golf-mad teenager, who will reach that landmark during the Masters in April, does it get much better than caddying for dad at the 83rd edition? For it to come about, 45-year-old Westwood will have to rise from his current placing of 63rd in the world to inside the top 50 by mid-March. The way he’s playing, it should prove a formality. Indeed, he can take care of it over the next two days if he continues in the same vein at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, where he followed his opening 66 with a 68 yesterday to lie just two off the lead held by Ireland’s Shane Lowry. Westwood is unrecognisable from the frustrated soul who fell into the tour’s nether ranks. Working with a protege of Steve Peters, the man who wrote the bestselling psychology book The Chimp Paradox, has worked wonders. ‘I have a lot of chimps and they’re all very happy,’ he said, grinning. Westwood pinpoints as key his split from long-time bagman Billy Foster last year. ‘At this point, I only need a caddie who I get along with,’ said the Englishman, who has girlfriend Helen Storey (left) as company this week. ‘I don’t need one who will try to impress on me how the game should be played. I will mix it up with Helen and Sam. If they can keep up, carry the bag and know where to stand, that’s enough.’ For Sam on his 18th, wearing a white boiler suit at Augusta would surely be more than enough.