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THE HONDA CLASSIC

February 28, 2020

Lee Westwood

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Q. It was cold this morning, but a hot follow-up to a good start yesterday. Well played.
LEE WESTWOOD: Not cold. It was balmy. A little balmy morning. It was a little bit chilly. The ball wasn't going as far. Tough playing holes like 11 early on in the morning when I had 155 and that was 9-iron yesterday. It was a good 8 today because the ball is not quite going as far. It was difficult getting that out of your mind, but I coped with it fairly well, and I played solidly all day.

Q. You played the English stereotype card, so I'll go with it. Luke makes eight birdies today, Tom didn't make a bogey yesterday. Something about cold, windy conditions that you guys know what to do out here?
LEE WESTWOOD: Certainly if you've played in the wind, it's an asset playing this golf course. I think it's a good ball striker's golf course. If you hit a lot of fairways, you can -- you've got to play this golf course from the fairway. Less so this year because there's a little bit less rough, but it still helps to be in the fairways coming into these greens. They're firm and a lot of cross-winds, and if you're a good striker of the ball and you can control your ball flight, it helps a lot.

Q. We touched on your driver yesterday. Key for our audience, how to play in the wind when you're trying to drive it, anything that you focus on when it's windy out here to make sure it's a solid strike?
LEE WESTWOOD: You get into the wind, it's easy to lean on it and try and keep it down, and that's the worst thing you can do. You lean on it, you get steep and it shoots up in the air and you put more spin on it, ball moves more in the air. So just try and stay as shallow and you can as just try and pick the ball off the tee.

Q. Back-to-back rounds in the 60s, and Lee, when you take a look at today's effort, what stood out to you?
LEE WESTWOOD: It was a bit tricky out there with it being cold this morning. The ball wasn't quite going as far. Obviously there was a bit more breeze today, I think, but all in all, I played pretty similar to the way I did yesterday. Just a little bit sloppy on the two par-5s. On 18 I hit two good shots and it took me four to get down and made bogey there, and I hit driver, 7-iron into the third and three-putted that. But I'm pleased with where I am and looking forward to the weekend. If I keep playing like this, I should have a chance come Sunday.

Q. If we can just get some comments on your round, please.
LEE WESTWOOD: Once again, I played well. I hit the ball well, drove it great. I don't recall missing a fairway to be honest, and that's what you've got to do around this golf course. There isn't as much rough this year, but it certainly helps to be in the fairway. If I was being picky, the two par-5s, I was in the back trap on 18, played a poor bunker shot and then three-putted it and made bogey there, and then hit driver, 7-iron on the 3rd and three-putted that. I could easily be three shots better, and it feels like it ought to have been 67 or 66, but 69 has not done any damage, and still right in there.

Q. I got the sense talking to you yesterday that it's all sort of gravy for you kind of from here on out, but --
LEE WESTWOOD: Gravy?

Q. Gravy.
LEE WESTWOOD: Tell me what that means.

Q. Sort of everything is a bonus from here on out. But does that change going into the weekend being in contention?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. I'm just going to keep working on the things I'm working on, my processes and working on the swing thoughts, and it's serving me well, and if I carry on like that, I'll keep playing like this. I feel good on the greens. I'm making a few putts out there, and I'm enjoying myself. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Q. I've heard you talking a lot about being able to relax more these days and have fun. Does playing right near where you live, does that help in that process?
LEE WESTWOOD: I used to live here.

Q. You don't live here anymore?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, I mean, I've played this golf course a lot of times, so you know, I've played a lot of Hondas, and it's a golf course I feel comfortable on. Whenever you get on a golf course you're familiar with and you're comfortable with, it always helps. Obviously I've had some good results down here. I like playing tough golf courses in tough conditions.

Q. But fun can go south pretty fast on this golf course, right?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, you've got to have a lot of patience. You've got to concentrate. You can't let your guard down. There's some tough shots out there where you've got to pick your spot and go for it basically.

Q. You mentioned you seem to be having a lot of fun at this point in your career. What was the last time it was this enjoyable for you?
LEE WESTWOOD: I'm not sure it's ever been this enjoyable. You know, I've always almost treated it too seriously. It's nice to go out there and not really care.

Q. The change in attitude, where did that come from? Was it intentional or almost accidentally discovered by you?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, I've been working quite hard with a psychologist, and he's given me a different appreciation for golf and life, really.

Q. You haven't had to have many sponsor exemptions in your life. Do you have any idea how many you've had, and is that a different feeling when you show up on an exemption this week?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. I've had a few. I was only a member over here for six years, and the rest of the time I would either be exempt for top 50 in the world or I would ask for sponsor's exemptions to tournaments like this and Houston and tournaments like that. No, I don't have any difference sort of feel for playing a tournament. I asked Ken Kennerly back at the PGA Championship in May whether I could have an invite, and he said straight away, yeah. That was nice of him to do that. I'm coming here as top 30 in the world, so his faith in me was well-founded.

Q. With respect to that having fun, is there anything now, can you give me an example of what you might have stewed about before or worried about between now and tee-off on Saturday that is just not part of the mindset, that's helping you more than ever?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I've never really been a worrier, but yeah, I wouldn't beat myself up, but say I hit two good shots into 18, I feel like I should have made 4, and I hit two good shots into 3 and I feel I should have made 4 there, and walked off with a 6 and a 5. Going down the 4th I made birdie, so I forgot about the 3rd pretty quickly, and I think that's the way you've got to be, that you're not trying to make errors out there. It was just a bit of sloppy golf at the time. You try not to do that.

Q. This became a stop where a lot of Europeans started coming over. Is there a certain comfort zone among Europeans that gather here?
LEE WESTWOOD: I think we probably like playing -- we probably like playing in the breeze a little bit more on our Tour. A cold morning like this morning doesn't really faze us too much. We're definitely not getting the snoods out and the beanies.

Q. Socially with so many other Europeans here, and Luke is on the board this week, is that a comfort thing, too?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know. I don't think so. Well, he lives in the area, doesn't he. I played with Luke at the Dunhill when it was at St. Andrews and Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, and it gets a bit more breezy there, and Luke has always been a decent wind player, so obviously...

Q. When did you start working with the sports psychologist?
LEE WESTWOOD: A couple of years ago now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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