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IRISH OPEN

May 17, 2008

Lee Westwood

ADARE, IRELAND

Q. Even by your standards, those last five holes must be pretty special.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it was great. It was very enjoyable. Pulled the 4-iron into the last a little bit to be totally honest but it was a good putt.

Q. What was your strategy, seven behind at start of the day?
LEE WESTWOOD: Just go out and enjoy it and try not to make any bogeys like I did yesterday; play solidly; hit as many fairways as I could. Because I though they are going to tuck the flags away as they have done all week to try and make it difficult, and the only way you can attack is from the fairways really.
I'm pleased with my putting. I've worked on a few things and I feel a lot smoother and I'm starting it on-line a lot better.

Q. Was there a sense before the day started it was going to be a good one?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. I hit it all right on the range but nothing special.
Yesterday was very positive, it was a good round of golf but could have been better. Today could have been better, as well. Missed a couple from quite close range but obviously made up for that with the way I finished.

Q. Scoring is better today; give us a sense of how the course is playing.
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I think it rained overnight, I'm not sure, it felt a little bit stopper but still the ball is not stopping that quickly. Anything more than sort of 8-iron into the green is releasing out quite a bit. Like I said, if you hit the fairways, then you can get a lot more control on it and that's when you're able to score.

Q. What would be a satisfactory score for those guys in contention up in these conditions?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know, depends how they approach it really. If you're going out at 5-under par, then, you know, 3- or 4-under would be a decent score I think.

Q. Can you take us through the details?
LEE WESTWOOD: 4, 7-iron to about 18 feet.
Missed at four feet from the next for birdie.
Missed from about 15 feet for the next par 3 for birdie, the sixth.
Driver, 4-iron, 15 feet on 7, made that for eagle.
Bogey on 12, front trap, but I had a long bunker shot, left it short of the green and chipped about three feet and missed it.
Next, I missed from eight feet, trying to get it back straightaway and missed from eight feet for birdie.
Then I hit it to about ten feet on 14. Rolled that in with a wedge.
About 20 feet on 15, rolled that one in.
Four feet on 16 with 7-iron.
Driver, 7-iron -- good shot into 17, tough flag at the back, narrow back edge, just rolled on to the right-hand edge of the green and chipped in.
And then driver, 4-iron to about 12, 15 feet on last, pulled it a little bit.

Q. 12?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, you get up to the par 5 in two, you hate to walk off a par 5 with 6; frustrating would be a nice word to use.

Q. Is it true that you changed hands on the putter last week?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I went for a lesson with Paul a couple of week as of the Masters, because, you know, my putting's not really been up to standard. To be honest, I didn't do that much practice at it going into the TPC because I felt like you just needed a break. Didn't really hit many balls and practice on my short game. At the TPC, I was very undercut and rusty, and you just can't play Sawgrass unless you prepare properly for it.
And then this week, I've done quite a bit of work on my putting and short game and hit a few more balls. And it normally takes me a tournament to get going again and the putting is starting to feeling better this week once I started working on it, so quite positive.

Q. One of your best scoring rounds, do you think, all year?
LEE WESTWOOD: I think 64 around here, that's a pretty good score. There's only one tee really up, on 11. And you know, even with no wind, it's tricky because you can't afford to miss fairways, and they are not that wide and the greens are not really holding that much.
So yeah, I'm delighted with 64 and it gives me a chance tomorrow. I wanted to shoot something low -- but I'm in a better position than I thought I might be at the start of the day.

Q. When you look back and think about of best rounds you've ever played, is it last rounds you go to?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I suppose so, yeah, when you've done it under pressure when it really matters. Last round of the Volvo Masters in 2000, I needed a good one; Belfry last year; last round of the European Open a few years back when I was a few behind; the following week in Holland I shot 63 to win from six behind, seven behind.
So kind of doing it when it matters is what it's all about and when it counts and that's when you get the most satisfaction.

Q. How does your game compare to the time of the British Masters last year?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's about even par. I don't feel under complete control, but at the same point I know where it's going. I'm working on a few things, and it's nice that I can take them out on to the golf course and work on them on the golf course, as well.
But the thing I'm most pleased about is my putting. I really feel like I'm starting to start it on the line that I want, and it's smooth and I'm starting to make more of the 15-footers that I ought to be making.

Q. But worry about the 4-iron at last when it left the club?
LEE WESTWOOD: No. I was aiming 15, 20 feet right of where I actually went but I knew as soon as I hit it -- just dead straight, I pulled it slightly but I flushed it, so I knew it was going to carry up there.

Q. Who is Paul how often do you see Paul?
LEE WESTWOOD: Paul Hurrion, it's the same guy that Padraig sees in Birmingham. I see him when I'm struggling, which is probably the wrong thing to do, probably should see him more often.

Q. And he advised you to change your hands?
LEE WESTWOOD: I suggested that I wanted to go left below right. I felt comfortable like that because it takes your shoulders more level.

Q. You've never done it before?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, in AndalucÃa last year, the second and third, fourth rounds, left below right.

Q. All of the club details on 14?
LEE WESTWOOD: The par 4? Driver in the left hand rough and then a wedge to ten feet.
15, 5-wood, wedge.
16, 7-iron.
17, chipped in.

Q. How often do you see Paul?
LEE WESTWOOD: Once every two months probably. I saw him on Tuesday, so I've seen him a bit recently. He'll be at the next few English tournaments.

Q. How long have you been working with him?
LEE WESTWOOD: Since just after the U.S. Open last year. Yeah, just after the U.S. Open last year.

Q. And has he kind of completely revised your putting stroke?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, he's given me a few things to work on. A couple of things I knew I needed to work on and but gave me better advice.

Q. Still working with Mark on the chipping?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, spend Tuesday with Mark next week at the PGA. Feels like it needs it. Just need to work on a couple of things.

Q. You're threatening almost every time you go on the golf course; a win now would be --
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, that's what I hope to do, yeah. Every time I tee up, I want to be in contention. You know, I do feel like when I get to tournaments, I'm there with the attitude that, you know, I've come to win and when I get into contention, then that's great. If I don't win, then sometimes it doesn't happen for you, but if you keep giving yourself chances then sooner or later --

Q. But you are threatening a lot this year.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, well, you know, I've had a lot of Top-10s and just the only thing that's missing is a win.

Q. And you're still working on your swing by yourself?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, just me and my dad are working on it.

Q. Interesting that you trust that, but the finer points you get help.
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, the short game and putting are games within the game really and we just need that specialist approach because etc. Not like swinging the golf club as such. The golf club works in different ways and if you know somebody that knows the ins and outs of that, obviously it feels.

End of FastScripts

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