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NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY GARY PLAYER

November 12, 2019

Lee Westwood

Sun City, South Africa

Q. Thoughts on returning to Sun City for an event you've had so much success at over the years?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it's always great to come back to Sun City. I've been coming here for a long time now and it's a place I love. It's a great resort. I obviously enjoy playing the golf course. Played well on it in the past and well last year, so it's nice to come back and defend.

Q. Talk about comfort levels of being here, the course, knowing the place, knowing the hotel, the resort, everything?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I shouldn't really need a practice round, should I. I play in the Pro-Am tomorrow and that's just one look at the course and it doesn't change too much. The green speeds are a bit quicker this year, I believe, but everything stays consistently good. Yeah, I'm just looking forward to having a good week and picking up where I left off last week because I played well in Turkey.

Q. How much fun is it coming back to defend a title?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's good fun. There's a buzz if you're coming back as defending champion. I don't tend to feel any more pressure. It's just nice to come back to somewhere where you know you can play well.

Q. How do you draw on these memories and use it to your advantage this week?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I mean, I'm not sure you can draw on it too much. You just know in the back of your mind, well, I won three Nedbanks, so if I get into contention, I'm going to know what to do because I've been in that situation before. You can really just feed off that.

Q. What is it about this place, this course, that seems to suit you so well?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know. When I first came here, years ago, I think it was 1994 or 1995, I found it really difficult. But over the years, I've sort of formulated a game plan and known where to take shots on and be aggressive and know where to back off and play to the middle of the greens.

I think from a course management point of view, course management is very high up in your priorities this week.

Q. Is it a course that gets easier to play as time goes by as you understand it more, as you say, maybe you know where to go and where not to go?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I think so. I think you find yourself in enough tough places that you learn over the years not to hit it there and just play away from certain flags and there's certain flags you know you can be aggressive at, and off the tee, you know that there's certain holes where you can hit 3-wood and be in a better position than with driver.

It's a bit like Augusta in a certain regard; that the more you play it, the more sort of familiar and comfortable you get on it.

Q. How often have you reflected on that performance last year, the final round in particular, what it meant for you and what it was like at that stage of the season and what the victory turned out to be for you?
LEE WESTWOOD: I've watched it a couple of times. Not too much, really. I've won a lot of times, so I tend not to too much them back. I really don't like seeing myself on TV.

But yeah, I mean, I've got good memories of it, and you know, I'd like to do it again obviously, but you know, just be trying to play my best and if I'm in there in contention on Sunday, I'll be pleased with that.

Q. How are you feeling heading into this week?
LEE WESTWOOD: Good. Like I said, I played well in Turkey last week. Shot four good rounds and got myself a chance of winning, and you know, hopefully I can carry that on and just keep working on what I'm working on and hopefully that will be good enough.

Q. You are into the final stretch of the season. Time to reflect and look back on the season, how it has been, what are your thoughts so far and what do you do to make sure it's a great season?
LEE WESTWOOD: I haven't won this year, but I've played well in spells. There's been runs where I haven't played so well. But you know, that's how golf is and I'm 46 years of age now and you know, you don't -- I guess you don't play consistently as well, or I can't commit as much time as I used to be able to to practice and things like that. So it's going to be more like that, but it's been an okay year.

Q. 40th anniversary of this golf course. As you said, it hasn't changed too much over the years.
LEE WESTWOOD: Just gets better every year. The first laying down of it was obviously very good, and over the years, there's been slight tweaks and changes. The biggest changes have been to 17, haven't they. It used to be a fairly average hole, but it's probably the best hole on the golf course now. It's the kind of golf course where you just have to think from the start and that's the sign of a good golf course.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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