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WGC CADILLAC MATCH PLAYMay 1, 2015Lee WestwoodSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Q. Quite an interesting round of golf. How important was it to make that chip out on 18? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it was very important at that stage of the game. Jordan had just chipped in on the previous hole and then I holed from about nine feet on top of him. And he'd holed from 15 feet on 14 for the halve. And it looked like I might win that hole. So, you know, to not win 14 or 15, and then look like losing 16 would have been a momentum swing and a killer blow really for me. But strange things happen in match play, and I wasn't far from the hole and chipped in. And then made the most of the break on 17. Hit a great shot to about 15 feet and rolled it in for birdie for 2. And taking the 1‑up lead down the last. I knew I was hitting it fairly well tee to green, felt confident about making four. And Jordan would have to make three. Q. And the tee shot on 16, before you went up? LEE WESTWOOD: No, he was well away from me. Q. (Inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, very much so. Going into today, Jordan is arguably the best player in the world, in my opinion he is the best player in the world at the moment. But you have to obviously respect that Rory is at the top of the World Rankings. But he's certainly the hottest player in the world. It was nice being the underdog for a change. It's nice to sort of come into the match play and be the underdog, but well and truly today. And just went out and tried to play with a bit of freedom and roll positively on the greens and make some nice putts. We both did. It was a good match to be involved in. It could have gone either way, really. Q. (Inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: Experience? Q. What role does that play out there? LEE WESTWOOD: Experience plays a role on any day, really. But I've had a lot of match play experience, obviously nine Ryder Cups and many world match plays. I played a lot of match play golf as an amateur, so I know how quickly things can change and what to do at certain times, when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive. Yeah, certainly the experience is one of the advantages of being 42, I guess. Not that there are many (laughter). Q. You said you were going to try to find your game on the range.  What have you found on these two days? LEE WESTWOOD: A little bit more width. Pete Cowan was kind enough to give me 15 minutes on the range Wednesday night and gave me a couple of keys that maybe I used to work on 15, 16 years ago with him. And it slid back in nicely. I felt like I got a bit more ball penetration on my iron shots and certainly on the drives. It wasn't very far on Wednesday, but I got my distance back yesterday and today, which obviously makes the golf course play easier. I'll continue to work on that and hopefully that will stand me in good stead to progress through the week. Q. (Inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: Yes, the Pacquiao Mayweather fight is looking less and less likely, fortunately. Q. (Inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: I had dinner with Danny a couple of times this week. Yeah, obviously gotten on very well with him. He's from my neck of the woods. We've gotten on very well. He's a good lad, and obviously a good player. It will be a tough match. But when do you not get a tough match in this format? Q. (Inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah. Frustratingly‑‑ frustrating amount of putts. And you saw stand there and know it's going to go close. And it's just‑‑ it's lovely to watch, the freedom, he stands over the ball with on his putting, and he takes very little time. I remember being 20 and you stood over and you belted it in the hole. A lot went in. And it's nice to watch a young man do that. Not only is he a great champion, he's a lovely young man, as well. I hope he stays like that. Q. Do you put that out of your mind, in other words, are you starting to (inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: In the back of your mind he's not going to hole everything, and he's not going to hit every green and every fairway. You just try to play your own game and be patient and give yourself as many birdie chances as possible. I was just trying to get it inside as often as possible on the greens, by hitting it close, trying to put a bit of pressure on him. It's hard to putt under pressure. Q. (Inaudible.) LEE WESTWOOD: Well, there were a few crazy moments out there. It's sad, really, on 15, you know, Jordan chipped in‑‑ he was in a pitch mark and came up short. I hit it close. When he was still over it I thought he was going to chip it in, I just knew it. So it came as no surprise to me, really. Then I rolled in for eight or nine feet on top of him, which was obviously key. And then‑‑ with the ball off the 16th tee he said he would have definitely picked my shot. And it was in the worst spot, unfortunately, on the downslope in the trap. And I somehow managed to make par by chipping in. So another massive momentum swing there. But having got that boost on 16 and then hit a good shot to sort of compound it on 17. And rolled the putt in on 15 for two. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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