 Lee Westwood |
The light at the end of Lee
Westwood's tunnel is getting brighter by the round. Tied 36th may not seem out of the ordinary, but his finish in New Orleans against a very strong US PGA Tour field represented a significant move in the right direction for the former European No.1. Lee's first three rounds were all sub-70 and, even in very windy conditions on the final day, he still carded a 73 for his most consistent |
"A lot of the things I have been working on with David Leadbetter are starting to come together and my confidence is returning," Lee told me after his return to English Turn where he won in 1998.
The previous week's missed-cut in Portugal has to be discounted because the course, with swimming pools lining every fairway, just did not suit him. So why did he play there, you may ask? Sponsorship commitments are the simple answer.
The disappointment did not dent his resolve and even after shooting 81 in the first round he appeared to know that better things would be around the dogleg.
And so it proved in New Orleans where he travelled to via David Leadbetter's Orlando base. To finish 10 under par including a 73 was a very good return and bodes well for his next few starts.
This week's final Benson and Hedges at The Belfry, where memories of last year's successful Ryder Cup campaign will come flooding back, should be the perfect start for his five-in-a-row campaign which also takes in two courses he has won on, plus Jack Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament - an event he has wanted to play in for many years but has been unable to because of scheduling problems.
Darren Clarke is also back on course this week after a two-week break during which time he spent a week in Portugal and a day-and-a-half in the company of sports psychologist Bob Rotella.
The progress of several of our young players has been seen in the latest re-rank of the European Tour. Outstanding performances by Richard Sterne, Charl Schwartzel and David Dixon means they have moved considerably higher in the pecking order.
And Finally: It was great to see our horse Shank On Fourteen romp home in a five-furlong race at Thirsk last weekend when it beat the even money favourite by two-and-a-half lengths. It's co-owners, Darren and Lee, will be among those cheering his next run on Monday May 19 at Windsor.
 |