LEE’S THE REINING CHAMP
LEEWESTWOOD
FORM runner Lee Westwood is happy to skip Cheltenham to be back in the running for a PGA Tour title at the Honda Classic today.
Punter Westwood passed on The Players Championship to go to the races this time last year – and won £48,000 on a Super Heinz bet for a £240 stake. The Ryder Cup star has banked £1.9million over the last two weeks for his runners-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
And the horse owner, who saw yesterday’s accumulator fall with Blue Sari in the Coral Cup, will today tee up for the fourth week running in Florida.
He said: “I didn’t have any plans to go to Cheltenham this year just because where I am golf-wise.
“I joined the PGA Tour last year, committing myself to play a string of events, and this is a good run of events here. There’s exemptions for top 50 in the world into most of them so it made sense to play a run here.”
Stayer Westwood admitted he felt “jaded” and “drained” after 54 holes at Augusta with his teenage son Sam on Monday and Tuesday this week to prepare for next month’s Masters.
But he insisted he was always going to tee up at the PGA
BY NEIL McLEMAN
National in Palm Beach – home of the fearsome Bear Trap run of holes – where he finished tied fourth before lockdown last year.
Westwood said: “I really enjoy this golf course, it’s one of my favourite tournaments.
“I suppose I’m not expecting too much this week but I don’t know what to expect from myself at the moment.”
The crowd favourite claimed his recent form had also been boosted by the recent return of fans on the PGA Tour.
Westwood, the new world No.19, said: “I’ve always been fairly popular but it seems to have gone up a level and it’s just great to have crowds back in.
“I struggled when we came out of lockdown playing without crowds. I was enthusiastic but it wasn’t the same buzz.”
His late career renaissance has also been accompanied by having Helen Storey as his caddie although Sam, 19, has the job this week and at the Masters.
He added: “I just like being out there with the both of them. Both keep me relaxed. Helen is doing the PGA Championship and the Open. I’m not sure about the Ryder Cup yet. We’ll cross that bridge if I get in the team.”
Tiger Woods has returned home to Florida to continue his recovery from a car accident.