Britain’s Lee Westwood has featured regularly at the top of leaderboards in golf’s biggest events and he exuded confidence on Saturday after retaining control of the Players Championship.
One ahead of the chasing pack at the start and end of the third round, the British world No. 4 said he was relaxed about the prospect of clinching his first PGA Tour victory since the 1998 New Orleans Classic.
Despite coming close several times in between, he says he is not putting himself under any pressure to win again.
PHOTO: AFP
“The only thing I try to do is perform as well as I know I can perform and peak at the right times for the big events,” Westwood told reporters after carding a two-under-par 70 on a difficult afternoon of scoring at the TPC Sawgrass.
Westwood has recorded top-three finishes in the last three majors, most recently a second place at last month’s US Masters where he led by one shot after 54 holes.
“It was nice to get back in the saddle so quickly and have another chance to win a big tournament,” the 37-year-old Englishman said after posting a 14-under total of 202 at a firm and fast-running Sawgrass. “I’ve got thoughts of the Masters fresh in my mind. I played pretty well the last day there and if I’d just done a couple of things slightly different at the right times, maybe the result would have been different.”
Considered by many of his peers to be the best ball-striker from tee to green, Westwood has derived great pride from making a habit of contending in golf’s biggest events.
“I’m just really pleased with myself that I keep knocking on the door and getting in position,” the 20-times European Tour winner said. “Some of the golf I’m playing in some of the big tournaments is great stuff, and that’s the reason why I’ve been practising so hard, and it’s nice to see it paying off.”
The Players is dubbed the ‘fifth major’ and Westwood said he had learned a great deal about the art of winning from his near misses.
“I learned plenty of things about what to do at the right times and where my game needs to improve,” said the Briton, whose glittering resume includes two European Tour order of merit crowns and six Ryder Cup appearances. “That’s what experiences like that are all about. When I won so many tournaments 10 or 11 years ago, other players beat themselves.”
“I would just hang around on leaderboards and wait for it to happen. Other people would be their own worst enemy and make mistakes at the wrong times, and that’s what I try to do again now,” Westwood said.
Westwood went into yesterday’s final round one stroke in front of Australian Robert Allenby and two ahead of Americans Ben Crane and US Open champion Lucas Glover, and Italian Francesco Molinari.
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