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July 16, 2009
TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, you walked around and saw most of it. That's a fair assumption.
I mean, you look at where I was, four feet on 4 to be 4-under through four and didn't birdie the par-5. I forget which it was, 7? I actually made a bogey. So that's three gone in seven holes, really. And then made double at 16. That's another two. And then didn't birdie 17. So 68 is probably as bad as it could have been.
But the first round of major championships you can only play your way out of them, so 68 is right in there. And probably would have taken somewhere around there to start the day.
Q. Talk about your course management.
LEE WESTWOOD: I thought my course management was pretty good. Distance control with the irons was pretty good. I kept it in the fairway most of the time, made a few putts.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: It was a 6-iron, it just finished on a bit of an upslope, a bit awkward. I was trying not to hook it too far left up the upslope. I just got a bit in front of it and it started bang on the flag and then faded. Just one of those things.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, it was a great start. Anytime you birdie the first three holes is obviously a great start. And then obviously No. 4, it was pretty straight on the 4, actually moved a bit left-to-right, which I didn't expect. And you're looking forward to a par-5 going up.
But I had a lot of chances from 15 to 20 feet all day. So if I can keep that going, I'm happy with the way I'm playing and the position I'm in.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I mean it's the kind of golf course where you try and play into position all the time, and sometimes those positions aren't 320 yards down the fairway. It's not a golf course you try to overpower.
And Tom's obviously a classy player, and he's quite capable of hitting it 280, 290 off the tee. So he's obviously going to be competitive around here as he's shown this morning. And he'll have had as much experience with links golf as anybody in this field, probably more than anybody.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: No, I'm looking at the positive already. 68 the first round of an Open, I couldn't have shot much more.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I expected it to be busy out there and there to be a fair bit of activity. It gave me a nice chance to practise my Japanese. But I can say a couple of times I stood off it, but I didn't play a shot where I wasn't concentrating and ready to play that shot.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: No, it was only when somebody pointed it out that I realised it. I was looking at the fairway, I wasn't looking down. That wasn't the reason I made 6.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: No, and I got away with a lie, which was a bit disappointing. I could have got it on the green, but it came out right and I thought it would come out a bit a little sort of smothered and left and run. So that was the reason it went in the right-hand rough.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, you have to pinch yourself and remind yourself that he's still only 17 years of age. He's a fine player. He's obviously proved that in Japan with three, four wins. I don't know how many times he's won.
But his game plan out there or course management maybe is reflective of him being 17 years old. He hit a lot of drivers, when Tiger hit 2-irons into position. And over time he'll learn that, and I think there will be plenty more wins and I can only see him improving.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I don't mind. That's just the way the draw comes out. I enjoy playing with Tiger and I enjoyed playing with Ryo, as well. It's nice to have a gallery and some atmosphere out there.
Q. (Inaudible.)
LEE WESTWOOD: Why would that make him laugh? I couldn't possibly reveal. He could print it in his paper, but none of the others.
End of FastScripts
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