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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2010

Lee Westwood

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Lee Westwood, leading the tournament with his fellow countryman, Ian Poulter, at 8-under par. Lee won the 2009 Dubai World Championship, has22 European Tour victories, six-time Ryder Cup Team member. He's played in the Masters 11 times and his best finish was tied for sixth in 1999.
Lee, we are delighted to have you with us, and would you like to make an opening statement or just want to go to questions?
LEE WESTWOOD: Fire to questions I think.

Q. You're playing tomorrow with a good friend of yours, how much does that help to relieve the pressure?
LEE WESTWOOD: I suppose it helps a little bit because we get on pretty well but I don't think it has much effect. I get on well with most of the guys I play with out here. But you know, we'll all be concentrating on our own game and getting our own ball around in as few of shots as possible, so it's irrelevant, really.

Q. Will there be more talking than usual or less, do you think, with the two of you?
LEE WESTWOOD: I have no idea. I have no idea why there shouldn't be as much. Well, we won't be cracking jokes on each other's back swings. (Laughter) Or maybe not.

Q. You mentioned earlier in the week and people have been talking about the English renaissance in golf and Ian won the Match Play, and you've had I think a third place last year, a couple near-misses in majors. Is this a verification of that so far in this tournament?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, yeah, if you needed verification, if you had not bothered to look at the World Rankings and seen how many English players were up there, and three in the Top-10; we're not up at the top of the World Rankings by mistake, you know. We ought to be contending in these major championships in these biggest events where the best players should contend.

Q. Ian mentioned that because of the strong group of English players, that it takes the focus off of one in particular, but you're more of a veteran than the rest. Do you think there's more on you?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, more of a veteran; I'm not that much older. I've just been around a long time. I'm in my 17th season.
It obviously helps. I think, you know, it disperses the pressure a little bit more evenly rather than one person sort of shouldering all of the responsibility. But it's a very individual game and I've learned that over the years and I really just kind of take care of myself now, what I'm doing.

Q. You mentioned cracking jokes on the backswing; did somebody say something on yours on 18?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, just a bit of noise back there. But there's no intentions. The 18th tee is surrounded by people and there's people going down 15 there. Somebody was talking. I should have backed off it really. It's my own fault.

Q. You said yesterday you didn't think you got as much out of the round as you could have done; same feeling today?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it was difficult to say. You know, I held some that I didn't believe were going to go in and I missed some that I think I ought to have holed. It swings in roundabouts. Those kind of things happen, especially on a course like this where it tests your limit.

Q. Ian said you took some money off him in the practice round?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, he would remember that. Every pound is a prisoner to him.

Q. Did you beat him?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, 4 & 2 over nine holes, that's about as easy as it gets. I offered him a press but he wouldn't take that. (Laughter).

Q. You obviously have had a great deal of success but what would it mean in you in particular to win a major?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's the only thing really missing in my career, I've won everywhere around the world and Money Lists and here in the States.
Obviously it would mean a lot to win a major championship. I've come close over the last couple of years, you know, three third place finishes and I know I've got the game and I know I've got the temperament. It's just going that one step further and finishing it off.

Q. Speaking of temperament, you made double-bogey and then possibly hit the two best shots you hit all day in succession on the next hole. Do you think that would have happened three, four, five years ago?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, maybe not. I'm a lot more patient and mature than I used to be. I know not to panic now when things go wrong. You know, everybody out there is going to have the odd mistake. It's just minimizing those mistakes and bouncing back from them.

Q. What did you learn from the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines two years ago, and how much different is it tomorrow among all of the players chasing you with Tiger only two shots back and apparently one group ahead of you tomorrow?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I played with Tiger the last round of the U.S. Open there, so that's not really an issue. And I learnt a few things, stuff I'm not going to share, because I think if you get into these situations and learn stuff, what's the point of passing it on? That's what going through these experiences is all about.

Q. Two questions. The eagle on two, first of all?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I had a couple of great shots down there, probably the best drive I've ever hit down the second I would say, right down the bottom and a 6-iron to about 18 inches.
So I don't know how far the drive went, nearly in another time zone I guess.

Q. When you led going into Amen Corner in '99, have you ever felt like you did then?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, was very calm today. Just sticking to my game plan and going through the processes and doing what I've been practicing for.

Q. And that's the one and only time you've felt that bad physically?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, that's the first time I had ever experienced a lead in a major championship, so it's bound to come as a bit of a shock.

Q. I know you came in to do some practice rounds the week of the Shell Houston Open; did that give you comfort compared to other years?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it was nice to get here the Sunday of Houston and wander around with nobody here and you can take it all in a little bit more and you were able to pick out spots where you might have to hit at flags in a certain spot, if you are in trouble. So it was much more, I don't know what the word is, I covered more bases.

Q. When earlier in the decade, when you struggled and dropped in the World Ranking, what motivated you to come back and in your opinion, how tough was the fight back?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it's always difficult when you've played to a high level, which fourth in the world is. You can't play at that level. You can't even play at any level, really.
So it was just a drive to try and get back and prove that I could do it. You know, a lot of people have gone into a slump and never come back, and I just wanted to prove that I got the guts inside to bounce back and become a better player from it.

Q. I noticed that you are wearing the same color shirt you wore yesterday. I'm not suggesting it's the same shirt, but was there a reason for the blue?
LEE WESTWOOD: It was cold this morning. I only had a blue sweater and this is the only shirt that went with it. But thanks for noticing. (Laughter) Delighted you're paying attention.
THE MODERATOR: Lee has had a long day and I know he wants to get a break here, one or two more questions in the back.

Q. Can you gives a blow-by-blow of 14 and 15?
LEE WESTWOOD: 14, we had a long wait on the tee. I hooked my tee shot, hit the tree and came down and I overhooked my second shot and just tried to get too cute with a chip. That was probably the hardest flag of the day there. It was a real stinker. And I should have just sort of accepted a five and pitched it behind the hole, but tried to get too cute and that's what happens, and regrouped pretty quickly.
Hit a great drive off the next and I had 248 to the flag, and hit 5-wood over on the right side of the green, pretty much exactly to the yard where I was aiming.

Q. Can we get the rest of the card?
LEE WESTWOOD: I can go through the birdies if you want, or eagles.
Driver, 6-iron to 18 inches at the second.
Driver, pitch just off the back edge and holed from 18 feet at the third par 6-iron 30 feet under the hole at 6.
Driver, wedge, 18 feet at 7.
Driver and a 7-iron to two feet at 11.
Driver, 3-iron on the green at 13, two putts.
Driver, 5-wood on the green at 15. That's it I think.

Q. What did you do on 18, just missed the green?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's in the right-hand trees and had to chip out. I didn't hit a good shot. I was a bit surprised how soft the green was up by the flag. It zipped down by the green. Normally it's up there glued, that shot.

Q. In terms of how you've played the game over all the years you've been a pro, where do you put your form now, because you've shot two tremendous rounds. Where do you rate the Lee Westwood we've seen for the last two days?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I've never led the Masters before at the halfway stage and I'm leading it, so it's probably about as good as I've played, yeah. I'm more pleased with the consistency I'm showing, and you know, when I analyze every aspect of my game, there's not one at 10 and one part at 4. The bad stuff is 6 1/2, 7 and the good stuff is 10.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much and good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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