WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

November 8, 2000

Lee Westwood

LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I feel pretty good. Obviously played well over the weekend last week. Just gave everybody a bit too much of a head start after the first round of 76. I like Valderrama. I enjoy this tournament. I played well here last year. Finished second in the Volvo Masters, and obviously played well in the Ryder Cup. I have good feelings towards this place, and I'm looking forward to the tournament.

LEE WESTWOOD: Four 65s might just stand a chance around here.

LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know. I haven't had a chance to see them yet. I'm going out for the first and last practice round in an hour or so, and I'll have a chance to see them then.

LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know. I played okay for the first 13 holes the first day, and then I had four bad ones where I dropped six shots, which is unfortunate. But if I play a level par in from the 13th and I shoot 17, it's a different story. I finish 19-under in the tournament and win by three. But that's not the way it goes, and it's easy to say that afterwards. Some days you shoot 76, some days you shoot 65, and it's a very fine line.

LEE WESTWOOD: I think it would be nice, obviously, if the top 55, or however many are in the field, top 55 in the world played. I think you obviously want as strong a field as possible playing in these World Championship events. Everybody turned up to last year's - or most people turned up. But I read it in the paper where Monty said they play for so much in America now each week that this is just nothing out of the ordinary for them. So why travel 12 hours when basically the Order of Merit is over and done with? They can't win it, so why bother? Everybody's entitled to their opinion. And you just cannot play everywhere, and you have to make a decision sooner or later whether to take a week off or not.

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I enjoy playing all over the world and experiencing the different places. I'd like to win as many different tournaments as possible, improve myself everywhere, really.

LEE WESTWOOD: I never got any of that, sorry.

LEE WESTWOOD: It must be a microphone.

LEE WESTWOOD: I'd rather win this title.

LEE WESTWOOD: Because then I'd win the Order of Merit. (Laughter.)

LEE WESTWOOD: What would give me more satisfaction? Winning this tournament would give me more satisfaction.

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah. I'd set a record for the most wins on the European Tour this season.

LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. It's just one of those things. It's not really something that concerns me that much. I never really give it that much thought, to be honest. I've certainly not talked about it to Darren. I haven't talked about it to anybody really.

LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I mean, obviously playing for this much money at the last tournament of the year opens it up to more people. You can form your own opinion on whether it's fair that these World Championships count towards our Order of Merit when they're so heavily loaded. You're entitled to your own opinion on that. We've all had the same chance to play in them, so we've all had the same chance to win them. I suppose it makes it more exciting from the outsider's perspective.

LEE WESTWOOD: I never really thought about it too much to be honest. The Order of Merit really doesn't sit that highly in my priorities. I didn't give it that much thought. There's not much point thinking about it until next Monday, when it's over and done with.

LEE WESTWOOD: Not a clue. If I won this week, I win the Order of Merit. That's probably all you need to know, really. It's like I said in the past, I had to turn up to win that tournament that individual week, and I'm not thinking about anything else at all - about the outcome, what it might be or anything.