Lee Westwood will tee off this Sunday tied for the lead with Joaquín Niemann in the LIV Golf Singapore and made one thing very clear after the third round: if he wins at Sentosa, he considers it would be the best victory of his entire career.
The Englishman, who will turn 53 years old on 24 April, explained why he would give such value to a victory in Singapore. “At this age, it would probably be the best victory of my career”, he said. And he argued it for one main reason: remaining competitive at this level after so many years and after recently coming back from a wrist injury. A surprise for everyone.
Westwood recalled that just 15 days ago he had no expectations about his game. “Two weeks ago I had absolutely no expectations about how I was going to play”, he explained. Before getting injured, he said he was happy with his swing, but doubts came afterwards. “When I was injured, I really struggled even to get into position over the ball and to grip the putter”, he noted.
That’s why he places so much value on seeing himself now at the very top of the leaderboard. “It’s a pleasant surprise to be so competitive”, he summed up.
Westwood acknowledged that the wrist is still not perfect throughout the round. “My wrist gets a bit tired towards the end of the round. I notice it weakens a little”, he said. That’s why he is greatly limiting both his warm-up and the work after each day. “I’m not hitting balls after the round and my warm-up before playing is very limited”, he explained.
Even so, he insists that being in this position at his age has a special value. “It’s nice, at 52, almost 53, to still be competing here”, he stated. He also added that these kinds of weeks are a motivation and a validation of the work he continues to do. “Remaining competitive at my age, being up there and having the chance to win tournaments like this, is validation to keep doing all the hard work and the practice hours that nobody sees”.
When asked how this possible victory would fit into his career, Westwood recalled some of his most special wins. He cited first and foremost the 1997 Australian Open, when he beat Greg Norman in a playoff, as one of his favourite victories. He also mentioned his win in Sun City, with his wife carrying his bag. Even so, he made it clear this would have a different significance because of the timing.
The Englishman also spoke about the course at Sentosa, specifically the Serapong Course, and was very clear in his description: “I’d say it’s a major-style course. It’s very demanding”. He explained that it requires hitting many fairways and that from the rough it’s very difficult to control the ball, especially because of the firmness of the greens.
On the greens, he highlighted their quality and speed. “They are among the purest surfaces I’ve seen in my career”, he said. That said, he warned they do not allow excessive aggression because putts can run away quickly.
Westwood also valued the role of his caddie, Billy Foster, with whom he reunited at the end of last year. They worked together between 2008 and 2016, a period in which they reached world number one and won the Race to Dubai. “It’s good to have him on the bag. We work very well together”, he explained. And he added: “We know each other very well and it’s good to have a friend carrying the bag”.
Looking ahead to the final day, Westwood assured that he does not plan to do anything different because he’s on top. He also recalled that he has played in the featured pairing many times throughout his career. When he was told he had probably done it more than a hundred times, he replied ironically: “Probably more than that”.
At this stage, his view of a final round is simple. “Anything can happen”, he said. And he added that the key will be not to get carried away by the position and to stick to the same idea as the first three days: “Keep to my process and not try to do too much”.
