OLDIE LEE CAN BACK TIME
Chilled Westwood on course to rewrite history
LEE WESTWOOD once butchered a golden chance to wreck a genuine sporting fairy tale.
But fast forward a decade and the veteran Englishman now finds himself providing the golfing romance himself – instead of trying to kill it stone dead.
At Turnberry in 2009 Westwood needed to par the 18th hole on Sunday to lift his first Claret Jug and snatch it from under the nose of American legend Tom Watson, who, at the time, was approaching his 60th birthday. Apart from Westwood his family and friends, the whole world wanted Watson to win. He didn’t in the end. Watson was thrashed in a play-off by fellow American Stewart Cink By then Westwood had not only destroyed his own hopes of winning on the last green but also failed to make the shoot-out.
That’s because he threeputted the final hole – and it has haunted him ever since.
“I felt really sick about it for a couple of days,” said Westwood. “I tried to get away as quickly as possible. By the time they were in the play-off, I was gone.
“I consoled myself with a few beers. It felt like the best solution. And then I watched the highlights!” A year later Westwood finished second in The Open to Louis Oosthuizen at St Andrews, but nothing compares to the pain of his Turnberry trauma.
Now he is older and wiser – and in with another chance to win the tournament he treasures most following a stunning second round of 67 at Royal Portrush to go with his opening 68. Westwood cruised round the Dunluce links without a single bogey for just the second time in a championship he has been trying to win since 1995.
In the process he equalled his best-ever score in the tournament to reach seven-under par alongside fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.
Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose is also lurking menacingly a shot further back on six under, as the best of British look to take down Americans including Brooks Koepka, JB Holmes and Jordan Spieth to end the recent Major dominance of those from across the Atlantic.
But the weekend could well prove to be all about Westwood, who has now become the golden oldie looking to rewrite the history books, just like Watson tried to do in Scotland.
Westwood would become the third-oldest Major winner in history if he could finally break his duck in Northern Ireland.
He would also become the oldest person to lift the Claret Jug since Old Tom Morris in 1867.
It would be quite a story but Westwood, whose highlight was sinking a 50-foot putt on the dangerous Par 3 16th hole, is too long in the tooth to get wound up about if he goes on to win or not.
He said: “I literally don’t care anymore. I just go out there. I’m 46 years old and still competing with these young lads. So there’s no pressure on me – I just go out there and have fun.
“There’s a long way to go in this tournament. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen – and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“I’ll just go home and have dinner, holiday the next week, life won’t change.”
Westwood has partner Helen Storey on his bag for the first time in a Major – and revealed there is no chance of them falling out in front of the watching world.
He added: “Obviously I get on well with Helen. She doesn’t know too much about golf but she knows a lot about the way my mind works.
“So she keeps me in a good frame of mind and focusing on the right things at the right time.
‘‘There’s more to the caddying than carrying and getting the wind direction.” go on