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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 6, 2008

Lee Westwood

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA

STEWART MOORE: Lee Westwood, thanks for spending a few moments with us here in the interview room at THE PLAYERS Championship. You played very well here back in '98 and '99, two top-six finishes. Obviously this golf course in the past has suited your eye. Let's talk about your game coming into this week.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I've been playing pretty good, although I haven't played for three weeks since the Masters. The first part of the year has gone fairly well. I haven't won yet, but all in all, it's been a pretty good start to the season, a lot of top 10s.

Q. Could you just offer any theory that you might have as to why the Europeans have not won this event in a couple decades? Do you think it's the course? Is it just a matter of a numbers game, that there's simply so many more players from other -- particularly from the States? What's your thoughts on why Europeans have not been able to win this event more than one time?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know, to be honest. I think when you look at it, we've contended fairly well. Padraig could have won a couple years back when Adam got up-and-down on the last. I played in the last group a couple years ago with Luke Donald, and he had a good chance.
No real ideas. I suppose it's a bit of a numbers game. We don't have that many people playing. It's growing as the years go by because more players are coming over and playing. But I don't know. It should suit us. I think it suits us more now, now that it's played in May, when it's hard and fast-running.
I think in Europe there's probably more of a premium on hitting fairways, which there will be this week.

Q. Can you tell us whether any karaoke is taking place this week, and are we allowed to attend?
LEE WESTWOOD: You're always allowed to attend. We discussed this. And there's a dance competition, as well (laughter).

Q. Have you had much reaction to it?
LEE WESTWOOD: To what?

Q. The karaoke?
LEE WESTWOOD: Which karaoke?

Q. On YouTube.
LEE WESTWOOD: That's old news. That's a year old. We've done many encores since then.

Q. Can you do one now?
LEE WESTWOOD: No.

Q. When we talked last week you reminded us that you hadn't been here in May, so this is the first time under these conditions. How have you found it?
LEE WESTWOOD: I played it yesterday, and it was very different. The greens, especially, putt very different to in March. I think they're probably a little truer in March. The grass is quite a coarse grass this time of year that they have down. And there's a little bit more grain. It's almost like putting on an Asian-type green, really.
So like you said, there will be a big premium on hitting fairways. The rough isn't as bad. It does give you a chance. It kind of sits up on top. You can imagine fliers coming into play, and with the greens being so firm you gain a lot by being in the fairways this week.

Q. Is it faster running and firmer running?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it'll play shorter. We were discussing yesterday that you can probably get away with probably three holes where you'd have to hit driver I'd say.

Q. You mean only three holes where you'd have to?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah.

Q. Which are they?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, you wouldn't have to off 9, really. I hit driver yesterday and got up in two. But 9 is one of those holes where if you lay up, you probably make four 4s and two 5s, and if you go for it in two you'd probably make three 4s and one 6 or more. You have to play 9 as it comes at that moment.
I think 14 is pretty much always a drive. But if it goes downwind the course is going to change considerably with weather changes. 11 is a driver.

Q. What did you hit into 16?
LEE WESTWOOD: I hit quite a good drive. I think they might have lengthened 16, I'm not sure, since I was last here. I hit 3-iron in off a pretty good drive. But 16 is one of those funny holes where if you hit it further, you land on an upslope. A low ball that lands a bit further back might get a little run and go further than a lot of the longer hitters.

Q. Haven't they changed the grass?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I think the grass was done in March while it was surviving the heat. So it's just like more of a Bermuda natural to the area type grass.

Q. You sound a bit nasally. Is that why you didn't play last week?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I just felt a bit off it last week, and then it all came in at the start of this week. I think it's been passed down from kids to dad.

Q. As they are.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah.

Q. Do you sense that the Europeans are more comfortable now playing on U.S. soil? There's 21 Europeans in the field this year. Do you just see them -- whether it's the money that draws them or whatever, but do you sense that there's a better comfort zone coming over here now, not just this venue but the States in general?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know whether it's so much a comfort zone. I just think that if you're in the top 50 in the world, you really have to come and play here. You know, the World Rankings are related to the other tournaments, however, it seems. And you've got three majors -- three of the four majors, we don't want to miss out on majors, obviously they're the biggest tournaments of the year, and the World Championships are obviously big events, and this is a big event. Seven out of the eight of them are here, so you've got to come, really.
We're doing that more regularly and starting to gang up, really. Like you said, there's 21 in this field. I don't know whether that's more or less than there have been in previous years. Just purely the fact that the bigger tournaments are over here means that we have to come and play this side.

Q. Do you think for a European or Australian or South African, winning a World Golf Championship would be more meaningful than this or the same?
LEE WESTWOOD: I think the World Golf Championships have drawn something away from the size of THE PLAYERS Championship. I think when we look at -- we could have a European that's 51st in the world that wouldn't be -- and finished eighth on the Order of Merit in Europe last year and wouldn't be in this field this week, so you could argue that the World Golf Championships are stronger fields than this now. They used to say this was one of the strongest fields of the year. Well, probably not now.

Q. I guess the question I asked Padraig earlier was whether he thought winning this, which would be great for anyone, but would it be more meaningful for an American than someone from abroad?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, given the choice, if you asked me which one I'd rather win, I'd rather win a World Golf Championship than this. But that's just me. I can't speak for anyone else.

Q. I should have asked him that.
LEE WESTWOOD: I thought you said you were talking to him earlier (laughter).

Q. I forgot the second part. See, if you would have been out here with us you would have known to follow up on it. Would it be more meaningful for an American to win this event than a European?
LEE WESTWOOD: Probably, yeah.

Q. Why would you rather personally win a World Golf Championship than this if you had your choice?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know, because of the title, I suppose.

Q. Because they're over here?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, because it's a World Golf Championship. That's just an unfortunate thing that they're all over here at the moment and not spread around in Australia and Asia and places like that.
I can understand why the players playing over here playing on the U.S. Tour take pride in this event would want to win this before a World Golf Championship. It's a well-run event.

Q. Why do you think the golf course seemingly excludes nobody? We've had short hitters like Funk and Nicklaus, and longer guys, Adam Scott?
LEE WESTWOOD: Tiger, Phil.

Q. Right.
LEE WESTWOOD: I think it's a good golf course when it can do that, give everybody a chance. I think it puts a premium on accuracy, but at the same time if you are a longer hitter you can hit shorter clubs off some of the tees. More than anything I think it's the course. So if you're good at plotting your way around a golf course, this is a great golf course for that type of player.

Q. You can't really win here with your B game, can you?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, you can't really get away with that. And I think this time of year more than March you can get away with less.

Q. Because it's faster?
LEE WESTWOOD: Just because it's playing faster and you need to have more control of the ball going into the greens because it's firmer. It's been a long time since I've played this course as firm as it was yesterday. I think it was probably when David won. Was that '99? That's the last time it played this fast. Although I think it played pretty fast when Stephen Ames won. Was that 2005?

Q. 2006.
LEE WESTWOOD: 2006 was it? Right.

Q. Can you think of other courses that allow for so much variety-in-who-wins type of game?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, you'd have to let me have a think about it, but not off the top of my head, no. No, this is a great golf course for that and one of my favorites.

Q. Have you given any thought to the fact that somebody is not here this week, Tiger?
LEE WESTWOOD: No. No, I haven't, no.

Q. Do you think anybody is going to really be thinking about that at all, first big tournament that he hasn't been around?
LEE WESTWOOD: I wouldn't think so. I never really paid much attention to who's playing anyway. You've got to beat everybody who enters, no matter who's here. You can only beat the field in front of you.

Q. Obviously you've taken a lot of pleasure at Darren's win. Does that do anything for you incentive-wise?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. I enjoyed watching it. It was as nervous as I've been in quite a while, watching him playing the last few holes (laughing).

Q. Peter Lawrie was saying last week he sort of took inspiration.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah.

Q. You don't feel obviously --
LEE WESTWOOD: Not really, no. I was delighted for him. It was good viewing.

Q. Did you get involved in the celebration, as well?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, I haven't seen him since.

Q. If you were a betting man --
LEE WESTWOOD: If?

Q. Which side do you think will have more new faces in Kentucky this year?
LEE WESTWOOD: I think probably ours, just purely by the fact that Zinger has got four picks and he can pick experience if he wants, which he will probably do.
STEWART MOORE: Thank you, Lee.

End of FastScripts

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