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THE HONDA CLASSICMarch 2, 2011Lee WestwoodPALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA DOUG MILNE: Good finish here last year, Top-10, just a few comments on the state of your game and how you're feeling as you start often week here. LEE WESTWOOD: My game is in good shape. I played quite nicely last week. It's quite a difficult tournament to give an honest review and reflection on. This week, I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed playing here last year. That's the reason why I've come back. I enjoyed the golf course. It's a great sponsor, Honda. It's a fantastic field they have assembled this year. And the wind blows a bit, which I like, and you know, it's a great run for this week and next week, a couple of big tournaments. It makes a lot of sense to play. Q. When you look at the World Rankings this week and saw yourself and three of your Ryder Cup Team mates in the top four spots, what's your reaction to that and just how dominant the Europeans have gotten? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I think it's a reflection of European golf at the moment. It's very strong. Got established players playing well and young players coming through playing well, like Martin and Rory. Rory is only just outside that bracket there, what is he, eighth or something like that, Paul Casey in seventh. We have got some great players right now, and you know, not afraid to play well all over the world. Q. Do you perhaps see it going back and forth throughout the year, maybe yourself getting back up there? Saw quite a change last week? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I can't see into the future, but the World Rankings are very reflective and they are a good system. They do reflect who is the best in the world over a particular period. I don't think there's any doubting over the last few weeks, Martin has probably been the best player in the world. He ran away with Abu Dhabi and played well again last week. It's good that it swings about. You know, if you don't play well, which I haven't started off this year very good, you know, by high standards, which you have to have when you are No. 1 in the world, then you deserve to drop down. But I'm not too worried about that. I'm never too fast out of the blocks at the beginning of the year, so just one of those things. That's how I am. Q. How much will you keep up -- will you know this week if you finish in a certain spot you can go back into No. 1? LEE WESTWOOD: No. Q. How much does it mean to you to be No. 1? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it's great to be No. 1 but it's not something that I keep an eye on. My primary concern this week is to play well and try and win The Honda Classic. That's first and foremost in my mind. And if I'm successful doing that, everything else takes care of itself, doesn't it. There's no point in thinking of something that's the product of something else. Q. Are the rankings one of those things where you just don't even look at it unless somebody brings it up or do you check on Mondays? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I didn't check this Monday. I tend to look when I'm going up. No, it's not something you check on too regularly. They are just a good reflection for everybody else I guess, as to giving an idea of who is playing well and who is dominant at the moment. Not that anybody really is dominant and that's why everybody else is close together I guess. I can't tell you how far in front of third I am and how far behind first I am. Q. You were talking last week about how you enjoyed the things that went on with being No. 1. Just wondering, there have been guys in the practice who have not enjoyed it. Can you understand that mind-set now that you've been there? LEE WESTWOOD: Well there, were some things I enjoyed and some things I didn't enjoy, and I can understand where those guys are coming from. But no, if you're going to practice hard all the time and get to No. 1, you might as well enjoy it while you're there; or else there's no point in working hard. Q. What are the things you didn't enjoy? LEE WESTWOOD: I'll just keep those to myself. I don't want to offend anybody. Q. The out weighed the bad? LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, yeah, there's more good points than bad points for sure. Q. Wondering a defining shot of last year, probably the shot Phil hit through the trees, that's gotten a lot -- LEE WESTWOOD: Well, arguably, yeah. I thought the defining moment was on the Saturday when he made a run and went eagle, eagle birdie. Those kind of things don't tend to happen too often. There's a big difference between having a one-shot lead going into Sunday and a four- or five-shot lead because at that stage he was five clear. Q. What did you have on 13, you were over in that same patch of trees weren't you off the tee? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, but I didn't have a shot. It was probably the shot of the year last year I guess under the circumstances and taking everything into account. Q. Where were you standing when he hit it? You can see Billy, a little dot in the distance way down there. LEE WESTWOOD: I was about 30 yards behind him. Q. Behind Billy? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, on that side of the fairway. I had walked out and they were taking a while to wait up. I think Bones was trying to talk him out of it so I just wandered forward. Q. As you're standing there as a competitor and he's mulling whether it's go time, you've already laid up? LEE WESTWOOD: I knew that he fans he'd having a go at it and that's Phil's personality and game, as well. He's that kind of player. Q. What would you have done? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I'd have had to have laid up, because I'm right-handed. (Laughter). Q. You mentioned that you're kind of a slow starter; have you gotten better about getting your game ready in time for Augusta than you were maybe the first five, six years of your career? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, definitely. I've learnt over the years, especially the last three or four years, to build up to certain events that I want to peak for without a doubt. Just comes with experience. Ideally you would like to play well all the time. Not to panic if things are not going -- Q. Your results have steadily improved in the last few years there. How much more comfortable are you now when you get to Augusta than you were early in your career? LEE WESTWOOD: I'm more comfortable at all of the major championships really, not just Augusta. I think it just comes with playing in them a lot and getting into contention. Obviously I would like to win one but to keep doing that, you have to keep putting yourself in contention all the time. Last time I played in one I finished second, played three last year and finished second twice and 15th or something like that the other time. My record recently shows that I think I do things right for me going into them and getting to the right condition I suppose. Q. What are your thoughts about the use of cell phones on golf courses? LEE WESTWOOD: As long as they don't put us off, I don't see a problem. I guess if you're going to let people come in and use phones, just say, put them on silent. It tends to be the ringing of a phone that puts you off rather than somebody talking on it. Because if you're talking on it, you're aware that you're on your phone but if it rings, it comes as a surprise to everybody, doesn't it. Oh, a phone call; that's what makes people jump. Q. What do they do in Europe? LEE WESTWOOD: We don't have a cell phone policy. But they are part of life, aren't they. It encourages people to come along -- not so much that. If it discourages people to come along because they can't spend six or seven hours out of the office and afford to have that time away, that's bad. It's good that they can keep up with their other life and not have to shut off too much. Golf and the business world are closely related and linked and need sponsors and corporate people involved in our game. It irritates me when I go to a golf club and they have a no phone policy, so why shouldn't everybody else. Can't leave Twitter for 30 seconds, can I. Q. If I can follow-up on the question about Mickelson's shot at 30, do you recall thinking it was a risky play by him before he did it or given the circumstances of the lie, the pine straw, all that stuff? Obviously you pulled it off very nicely, but could have gone the other way, too, if it comes up short? LEE WESTWOOD: I thought if you were putting it into percentage, sort of 70 percent could have gone wrong and 30 percent could have gone right. It was a high shot from the fairway never mind from behind a tree off the pine straw. And when it was in the air, because I was sort of halfway down the flight, looked in the water, and didn't look like it was going to carry because I saw it going right and I figured it wasn't going to carry on that line because it was 15 yards longer to carry on that side. Looked in the stream. Q. Could have been game over, right? He was a couple up, 2-up? Certainly put a dent in his front fender if that had gotten left. LEE WESTWOOD: Those sort of situations you do what you feel is right at the time, don't you, whatever your comfortable with. He's one of the best wedge players in the game so you could argue that Bones was right and to pitch out and to go in from a hundred yards would have been the safer play. But you know, he's an aggressive type of player, isn't he, so he goes for it. That's what everybody wants to see. That's why everybody likes watching him. Q. You missed the PGA because of a calf injury, so it will be nine months between your last major and the Masters. Does it seem that long? LEE WESTWOOD: Seems longer. Yeah, I think when you're injured, and it was my first ever real sort of injury, time drags. Rehab is irritating and gets to you after a while, doing the same old things. Feel sorry for like the football players back home when they get injured and they are out for a year, and I just think -- because such short careers, as well, it's like NFL or baseball or basketball, shoulder injuries. And when you love doing something and you have a year out, and you have like a ten-year career span, it's a miserable time and feels like time is ticking away. Q. This week and next week, obviously Doral, are these next two events for you a true barometer of where your game is? LEE WESTWOOD: Not really, because I don't put that kind of pressure on myself anymore. If I play well I play well. My game is in really good shape at the moment. I'm hitting it as well as I've hit it in a long time so looking forward to playing this week. Q. A lot is made of the Bear Trap on this course. Is that where the tournament is more or less decided on Sunday? LEE WESTWOOD: And rightly so, really. There's some big shots coming in there at 15, 16 I guess and 17 and then 18 gives you a birdie chance. Yeah, it's a good run at the end of the golf course but that's not really where the tournament -- I suppose it is on a Sunday because it's the end of a round but there are a lot of big shots out there. That's why I think it's such a good golf course to come and play, because it's tough. Puts you under pressure a lot. Q. How about those three holes at 15, 16, 17, what's the one that kind of sits in the back of your mind? Is it 17, the par 3? LEE WESTWOOD: I suppose 15 and 17. If you hit it somewhere back left on the green on both of those, you're quite happy. Walk off, make threes; I don't think anybody would not take a three on both of those holes at any point during the week really. Q. You played most European Tour and PGA TOUR events; could you explain what is the difference between the two tours and what is each tour's strength? LEE WESTWOOD: How long ya got? (Laughter). Well, I like The European Tour because of the variation, different countries each week pretty much and different cultures. A lot of my friends play The European Tour, as well, my close friends, the people I've grown up with, so I like going that. But the PGA TOUR, you have lots of massive events. Tournaments are what they are, pretty much -- well, not anymore because you go down to México and places like that and Puerto Rico and Canada, but are pretty much set in the States all year round so you know what to expect. They are very well, well-run tournaments and probably tend to play for more money over here, as well. But like all tournaments, if you play well at them, you are going to have good results. In essence, there's not really much difference between the two tours. If you play good golf, you'll enjoy it more than you will if you play poor golf. Q. After Stricker went to the Middle East, he was talking about having a new appreciation for most of you guys who have played The European Tour. Just curious if that did take some getting used to for you, or even if now, if it still is a struggle to do some of the travelling that you do, like when you go to Asia and places like that. He talked about being pretty wiped out from that, having not done it? LEE WESTWOOD: You know, you don't do it, which Steve hasn't in the past much, then the travel obviously can get to you, the jet-lag. But you get used to it. I've been doing it for 18 years now, travelling through eight time zones. It's just something you learn to get on with and contend with, playing tired. Q. Just getting back to the World Rankings, there was a time when one guy was totally dominant over everybody else and now he's fifth. Do you think the game has a void at the moment without Tiger playing well and do you miss him? LEE WESTWOOD: I think there's a different kind of interest for everybody. You know, there was that -- when he was playing well, there was the interest to see how far out he could get and if anybody could catch him up. Now he's not playing very well, and obviously there's the interest, will he get it back and when, and how far will people go in front of him. All of the time the story is changing. If you had to read the same old story that you guys wrote week-in and week-out, we would get pretty bored, wouldn't me. (Laughter) gives you something interesting to base your stories around. Q. Are you surprised he has not added another tournament? LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. When I went through a bad patch, it was a juggling act whether to stay at home and practice and work on your game, because you get more done, or to go out and play and risk maybe not playing well and taking another confidence knock. So it's very, very much in situations like that up to the individual. So Tiger has got to do what he feels is right, not what everybody else feels is right and what maybe suits everybody else. Q. Your young stablemate, Mr. McIlroy, made it more interesting this week by saying that he was not really sure Tiger will ever get back to where he was before; do you agree with him? LEE WESTWOOD: That's the answer a 21-year-old would give, isn't it. 37-year-olds are a little wiser. (Laughter). I think having played with Tiger since 1997 or something like that, there's an old saying that class is permanent and form is fickle. He's the classiest player I've ever played with and I'd be-wise enough to know not to write him off. I've seen him play poorly and win tournaments. He doesn't necessarily have to get back to where he was. I'll have a word with Rory later. (Laughing). Q. There was a time when Augusta was a place where the Europeans dominated for 15 years or so, and now ironically it's the furthest away major that a European has won. You came close last year. Do you think it's more or less suitable than it used to be for the style of golf that Europeans play, or do you just think it's sort of a weird glitch? LEE WESTWOOD: I think it's just one of those cycles that tournaments and World Rankings and things like that go through. We have got enough world-class players now playing from Europe that we ought to be contending and winning more I guess. There's no reason not to see over the next few years that Europeans will start winning again at Augusta as we were in the 80s and early 90s. Q. With the unrest in the Middle East, are you concerned about that part of the schedule? What have tour officials told you about Bahrain or Dubai or any of those tournaments in the future? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, well, it's sad and interesting all at the same time, isn't it. It's a tough time they are going through there and there's a lot of changing, having just finished the Middle East swing, I really enjoy playing out there. I didn't play Bahrain so I don't know what that place is like. But obviously they are all closely related, aren't they, and hopefully it will get sorted out. I know they are about to cancel the F1 Grand Prix in Bahrain coming up; so we were fortunate to get our stuff out of the way before anything really kicked off. Q. Have the Tour officials said anything? LEE WESTWOOD: No. I don't think anybody really knows, not least the Tour officials. That was no dig at the Tour officials. (Laughter). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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