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SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPDecember 20, 2008Lee WestwoodPAARL, WESTERN CAPE MICHAEL GIBBONS: 68 today and 14-under, two ahead going into the final round. Your thoughts on that? LEE WESTWOOD: Good position to be in. You want to be leading, so I'm pleased with the position I'm in. I'm pleased with the way I played the last three days, very solid, and made one bogey I think. You know, not really looking at making too many bogeys. Gave myself receive a lot of chances. MICHAEL GIBBONS: On this golf course, it's going to be quite hard to catch you. LEE WESTWOOD: There are chances out there if you play well enough. Could have made eight birdies today, so if somebody plays well enough, 64 is on. It was good to see a bit more breeze blowing today. Helped me a bit more tee-to-green, and that's probably the strongest part of my game at the moment. When I did miss a green, I did get up-and-down, so pretty pleased with my game. Q. Is that the key around here, not making bogeys, rather than making birdies? LEE WESTWOOD: It's because I've driven the ball well the first two days, except for 17 yesterday, 3-wood, middle of the fairway. If you go like that, you really don't put yourself under too much pressure. And I've been holing putts from five or six feet. If you keep bogeys off your card, you're going to make a few birdies and you're going to do well. Q. Putting? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I've missed a lot of chances. I feel like if, all together, the way I'm playing and have a good putting week, I'll be under a lot less pressure, which I can't seem to figure out at the moment. I've really putted great all year, something like 14 Top-10s or 15 Top-10s, and it was a good putting year this year and I feel like I could easily have won six, seven or eight tournaments, one of them maybe a major and one of them maybe a World Golf Championships. That's the sort of golf I've been playing at all year really. Q. Inaudible? LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. You know, it's now my 16th season, so I have a fair amount of experience I have to think and not to get ahead of myself. All week long, all I've tried to do is minimise the mistakes and you know, just get around. I don't feel like I'm under any pressure here. It's the last tournament of the year, but maybe I look at it as a first tournament for next year, so there are lots of ways to taking the pressure off yourself. I'm just enjoying it, and I look forward to going out and playing every day the way I'm hitting the ball and it's a golf course that I enjoy playing. I've always played well on Nicklaus courses, so it's been a fun three weeks, really, starting with the Nedbank. Q. You want the reward of a win before the year is out... LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I think 2.5 million Euros is quite a good reward. But if you're talking about tournament wins, nobody wants to keep finishing second and being bridesmade, but I won seven times in '98 and 2000 so I've had my fair share of multiple-win years. Q. So you don't think the money is more important? LEE WESTWOOD: No, it's not. I am just talking my way round it. Sometimes other people lay a little bit better but this week I feel like my game is strong. Q. When you made the ten pars in row...? LEE WESTWOOD: I was just standing there, trying to hit the tee shot in the fairway and then try and get it close. Wasn't really thinking that -- I could quite easily been 4-under through five holes. Q. You seemd to go way more left than anyone on 12? LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, there's a big stream on the right. Q. I think one player in every other match went in there -- LEE WESTWOOD: I figured that out by the 20-minute wait on the 11th and 12th tees. And just at that moment, the breeze seemed to pick up a little bit, and not an easy breeze to play in. It's a very well-designed golf course, and you come into crosswind a lot with the traps, and if you pick the right club, you have to commit to the shot away from the flag. Like on the 11th, I was always going to aim 30 feet left of the hole, but I hit 7-iron instead of six to get me back and you just have to take your medicine sometimes and get through those holes and figure that par is going to be a good score. I figured that par on 11, 12 and 13 you would not lose any ground. Q. Did you watch the leaderboard? LEE WESTWOOD: Not very closely really. I pay a little bit of attention, just to see where I am, but other than that, that's as far as it goes really. Like I said earlier, I just need to go out and keep playing the way I'm playing. I'm playing pretty good at the moment and enjoying it. Q. Inaudible? LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know. I think -- I'm not sure. Four seconds. Q. You talk about 15 years of experience and you take your medicine on the golf course, and looking at some of the guys chasing you, like Retief Goosen, those kind of guys with experience do you have to look out for? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, anybody that's won a couple of U.S. Opens knows how to play and knows their way around the golf course. Q. Do you think the younger guys might fade away? LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, I don't know, I've not really played with them or looked to see who else is up there. I haven't really seen anybody else how they are playing. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Lee, thanks very much. Good luck tomorrow. End of FastScripts |
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