THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 12, 2021

Lee Westwood

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. How would you assess your play today?

LEE WESTWOOD: Very good. Hit it well off the tee. Hit quite a lot of fairways. My iron shots were good. I played away from flags when I needed to. Got suckered into a couple of pins, but short game bailed me out on those. Chipping and bunker play all felt good and rolled the ball well on the greens. I had fun out there. Felt calm and in control.

Q. We talked a little bit at Bay Hill about how you could care less than you did in your 30s. How does that work for you on the golf course?

LEE WESTWOOD: I care less about the outcomes. I still care about my performance, and that in turn leads me to work as hard as I've always worked. But I've been working with a psychologist for a few years now, and we just focus on the process, we don't focus on the outcomes and things we can't control. The only thing I can control when I go out there is the process and making sure I have fun. I make sure I have fun.

Q. After last week, I think there was a picture of champagne with Danny Willett. Was it a celebration or were you disappointed?

LEE WESTWOOD: No, not disappointed at all. I really enjoyed the final day. Bryson played good -- played great, I thought. Shots into 17, two quality shots into 18, and made a great putt when I forced him to make one, holing mine down the hill. He rolled in a nice five and a half footer to win the tournament. Other than getting a little bit unlucky on 16, I feel like I did everything pretty well and was pleased with my performance. Sometimes you can't control whether you win tournaments or not.

Q. Would your attitude towards that result maybe have been different 10 years ago maybe?

LEE WESTWOOD: Possibly. I don't know. I was a pretty good player 10 years ago. I was world No. 1, wasn't I. I don't like to judge the 2021 Lee Westwood against the 2010 because I'm a different person, so it wouldn't be fair on me to judge myself against that person.

Q. It seemed like last week was being painted as a feel-good story and now it's the same thing all over again. At what point does this go to you maybe feeling like you're playing some of the best golf of -- maybe not of your career but up there.

LEE WESTWOOD: I believe I've played some of my best golf over sort of the last year and a half and I've had some good results against quality fields, a win in Abu Dhabi and then finishing second in Dubai end of last year to win the Race to Dubai was great playing under pressure and birdieing two of the last three holes. Last week I obviously played well under pressure again, and this week I've carried it on.

The nice thing for me about this week is not letting last week affect me in a negative way. I've regrouped. I've still got the memories of last week, of playing well and hitting good shots when I needed to, but there's no hangover from last week. It's a feel-good experience for me this week, and I've carried that into the first two rounds.

Q. To be able to be a leader 54 holes last week and now here in this position, you obviously have to be doing something better than anyone else can do. What part of that game do you feel is the most world-class of your offering right now?

LEE WESTWOOD: I think to compete in any of these tournaments against the best players in the world, you can't have any weaknesses in your game. I wouldn't be able to say I'm doing this better or that better. All of my game feels -- it doesn't feel like -- there's not a shot out there I'm afraid of. There's not a shot out there I'll walk up to and think, I haven't got this one. I feel like my technique is good on everything. I can hit a low drive stinger out there when I need to, I can hit a long iron into a green when I need to and flight it high. If I get out of position I can nip one off the turf and put some spin on it like I did on 9 to finish up there and spin it by that hole. I'm rolling the ball well on the greens. I'm comfortable out there with everything.

Q. Two great weeks in a row, but you struggled a little bit at Concession. Anything click between there and Bay Hill?

LEE WESTWOOD: I really struggled with the Concession golf course, see a way around it, around those greens. I probably had a bad attitude that week and let the course get to me, and on these two golf courses I've felt a lot more comfortable.