Lee

Westwood

Set for his 21st appearance in the Masters Tournament, the seasoned Englishman was unable to repeat his Florida Swing of 2021. With only one top-20 finish worldwide in 2022, Westwood will lean on his course history as he has collected a pair of runners-up over the last decade and a half coming in 2010 and 2016. Looking to bounce back from a rare missed cut in last year’s Masters, Westwood spoke to the changes to the 15th hole on Monday. The 48-year-old said, “It certainly makes you think now. Even if you hit a good drive, it’s not an immediate yes, I’m going to go for it. I hit a good drive down there yesterday, it was a little bit into the breeze and I had 267 flag. That’s a normal 3-wood for me, and the firmness that the greens are at, I’m landing on that green and it’s tough to stop it. It’s going to go through 15, 20 yards long, and it’s a tough shot from back there. It’s really a juggling act and an evaluation of whether it’s easier to hit a 100-yard pitch shot into a green that’s sloping slightly against you than it is a 20-yard through the back with it running away from you towards the water. It certainly makes you think.”

Last year at TPC Sawgrass, the 48-year-old Westwood held a two-stroke lead heading into Sunday but finished second after shooting 72 in the final round, one stroke behind winner Justin Thomas. It marked his eighth runner-up finish on the PGA Tour. Of note, there were just six bogey-free rounds on the week at Sawgrass, and Westwood had two of them (Rounds 2-3).The Englishman also was T-4 in 2010 at The Players, T-5 in 1998, T-6 in 1999 and 2014, and T-8 in 2013. On the season, Westwood had made three PGA Tour starts, missing one cut (Houston Open) and most recently finishing T-68 last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In three international starts in 2022, he’s 2-for-2 in DP World Tour action (T-20, Abu Dhabi; T-32, Dubai) and was T-21 in the Asian Tour’s Saudi International.

Last year at Bay Hill, the 48-year-old Englishman carded a 1-over 73 on Sunday to finish one stroke back of winner Bryson DeChambeau. He was T-5 in 2006 for his only other top 10 at the API. Westwood made his first PGA Tour start of the calendar year last week at the Honda Classic, where he finished T-42. He made two starts on the DP World Tour to kick off 2022, finishing T-32 at the Dubai Desert Classic and T-20 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He also was T-21 at the Asian Tour’s Saudi Invitational.

In fact, last season marked the first time in his career that Westwood missed the cut at the Champion Course at PGA National. As before, he was a perfect 7-for-7 with two top-5 finishes and two top-10 finishes, the latest being a T-4 in 2020. Arriving this season after partaking in the desert swing on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour, the world No. 41 appears to be in good form. With finishes of T-20, T-32, and T-21 in his three starts, the 48-year-old will feel right at home this week in the Sunshine State. With some scheduling changes compared to last season, it was actually this week last year during which Westwood found the fountain of youth. Finishing runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Westwood kept his foot on the gas and once again finished in second-place as he fell short to Justin Thomas the following week at The PLAYERS Championship. After two, long stressful tournaments, the Englishman arrived to PGA National as it served as the final stop of the Florida Swing in 2021 unlike this year. Perhaps mentally drained from back-to-back contention runs, gamers may want to give Westwood the benefit of the doubt and chalk up his missed cut as an anomaly as he has been stellar in the Honda Classic throughout his career.

“I can’t wait to get to Yas Links as it hosts the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the first time,” said the 45-year-old Englishman. “It’s a course I really enjoy and hopefully that, along with the memories of my win in Abu Dhabi in 2020, can help me put in a strong performance and put myself in contention come Sunday.” Two years ago at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Westwood earned his 25th career DP World Tour title after shoot a final-round 67 to finish at 19-under 269, two strokes ahead of countrymen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood and France’s Victor Perez. Westwood has made seven cuts in 10 starts in the event, where he also finished T-2 in 2008 and T-8 in 2017. He’s made one PGA Tour start in the new season, missing the cut at the Houston Open after shooting 70-84. Last season, Westwood played as a PGA Tour member for the first time since 2015 and was 50th on the FedExCup standings. He qualified for the Playoffs for the sixth time, making 14 cuts in 19 starts with two runner-up results (Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players).

The 48-year-old Englishman is projected to finish 2021 inside the top 50 – at No. 37 – which would earn him an invitation to play Augusta National for the 21st time in his career. He’s made the cut 16 times in 20 appearances there with six top 10s including a T-2 in 2016 (three behind winner Danny Willett) and a solo second in 2010 (three behind champ Phil Mickelson). Westwood has made just one start in the new PGA Tour season, missing the cut at the Houston Open. Last season, Westwood played as a PGA Tour member for the first time since 2015 and was 50th on the FedExCup standings. He qualified for the Playoffs for the sixth time, making 14 cuts in 19 starts with two runner-up finishes. He was second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, finishing one stroke back of winner Bryson DeChambeau, and second the following week at The Players, one stroke behind winner Justin Thomas. It marked his eighth runner-up finish on Tour. In September, Westwood played on the European Ryder Cup team for the 11th time, which tied Nick Faldo for the most in European history, and went 1-2-0 in the matches.

The Englishman won two of the first three holes but still found himself 1DOWN thru 10 holes. Westwood would rally to win four of the final eight holes, perhaps partially due to English losing his focus after the Americans clinched the cup. This win gives Westwood a 1-2-0 record at week’s end. Both of his losses came in the foursomes format. The 48-year-old was playing in his 11th Ryder Cup and is now 21-20-6 overall. “Obviously I’ve played in a load of Ryder Cups and been a vice captain for Thomas in Paris and it’s something I’d love to do. I’m going to have to sit down over the next few months and weigh everything. I still feel like I’ve got a lot of golf in me. I said on the last green, could be my last match, and I don’t want it to be.”

The 48-year-old Englishman holds an overall record of 20-18-6 in the biennial matches, and he ties Nick Faldo for most all-time Ryder Cup appearances for Team Europe (11). As for what makes him such a strong Ryder Cup competitor, Westwood’s answer was simple: “I’m a pretty good golfer. Always helps, doesn’t it?” He also noted his passion for the matches was ignited in 1989 when he attended his first golf tournament, which happened to be the Ryder Cup at The Belfry. “[The] best feel for professional golf I ever got was watching the likes of Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer playing at the Belfry in the Ryder Cup,” he said. “When I did come round to playing it in 1997, it gave me a real feel for it that this was the pinnacle of team sport, and nothing really compares to the Ryder Cup, I think.” Ballesteros also was Westwood’s first Ryder Cup captain and Faldo was his first playing partner, both of whom left indelible impressions. “Seve and Nick both held the Ryder Cup in high regard, and just being around them, you could see how much it meant to them,” said the world No. 35. “Passion for the Ryder Cup was never something that I had to learn or gain. Pretty much like European team spirit is not something we have to work on; it’s just there.” Westwood played a practice round Tuesday with possible playing partner Sergio Garcia, as well as Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.

The Englishman nabbed the final spot available through automatic qualifying off the world points list, despite a lackluster finish Sunday at the BMW PGA Championship. Westwood posted a 5-over 77 at Wentworth Golf Club, carding three bogeys, two doubles and a triple during his final round and finished T-71. Only Faldo (46) has bettered Westwood (44) in terms of matches played, in which he has picked up 23 points. He boasts a 20-18-6 overall record and is 3-7-0 in singles, but of note, Westwood has posted unbeaten records in two previous Ryder Cup clashes -- at Oakland Hills in 2004 and the K Club in 2006. At 48 years old, Westwood will also become the oldest player to play for Europe since Christy O’Connor in 1973 (also age 48 at the time) at Muirfield.