|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 25, 2012Lee WestwoodABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SCOTT CROCKETT: Lee, thanks, as always, for coming and joining us and welcome Abu Dhabi once again. Traditionally a good start to the year. Give us your thoughts on starting your year here and the field and your own form. LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it is a good start to the year. The weather's normally pretty predictable in this part of the world, and it's a great golf course. HSBC have done well to get one of the best fields ever on The European Tour. The golf course is normally in fantastic condition. Had a week in Dubai to get ready to the season; not that I really sort of got out of form too much, because my year went on quite late last year. I only finished on the 19th of December, so I feel fresh, but still in good nick and ready to go. SCOTT CROCKETT: The end of last year was fantastic with the two wins in Thailand and Nedbank. You described it as the best golf of your career on your own website. Talk about that and how you played last year. LEE WESTWOOD: At the Nedbank, I played really well and shot 62 the third day there, which around that golf course, not many people can see that score. Drove the ball really well, and could attack most of the flags from there. And two weeks later in Thailand, I shot 60 the first round and followed up with a 64 which was arguably a better round, but 60; having a chance to shoot 59 around what was not an easy golf course. I think when I finished my round, I was 14 clear and ended up 11 clear after two days, so pretty special golf, and went on to win by seven, in front of a Masters Champion, as well. So to perform well at the end of last year was pretty good really. Q. Was that the most pleasing thing; obviously you want to shoot the lowest score that you can, but your career is really known for the consistency of shooting sub‑par scores, rather than going with really, really low scores. Is that a big significant factor for you? LEE WESTWOOD: The most pleasing thing was about four weeks prior to, that I started working with Phil Kenyon, my new putting coach; and to shoot 62 around Sun City and then 60 and 64 around the course in Thailand, you need to start making a few 15‑footers, which I've been missing for the previous 17 years. (Laughter). So once they start going in, it's all of a sudden, you turn what would be a good round of 65, you hole a few that I have not been making, and all of a sudden it's a 60 or 62. So that was the pleasing thing. Q. We talked a lot last year about majors and trying to win one. Do you think the putting could be the key this year to you getting a major? And No.2, what does it mean to play with a field like this? You said this is one of the best fields on The European Tour; to start a year like this, you're going out with Kaymer and Donald? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I think it's very difficult to win a major without making a few thatare surprising, or bonuses, which I haven't holed over the last few years. So if I can start rolling in a few 25‑, 30‑footers that I have not been making, that's obviously going to make a massive difference. You were talking about the field? Q. Just what it meant to start the year like this. LEE WESTWOOD: I think it's great for The European Tour; that we can attract fields like this this early in the year. I think probably in all fairness between probably April and after the PGA, most of the golfing world is focussed on the U.S. but I think outside that now, the rest of the world is where golf is big‑time, really. The focus of everybody's attention seems to be in Asia and the Middle East for six months. Q. What does a player, what does it mean to start with this kind of talent, playing two rounds with them? LEE WESTWOOD: I don't really sort of watch what they are doing to be perfectly honest. But obviously you do well this week, it gives you a fair indication to be able to assess how your form is, against how the best players in the world do. It's a good guide. Q. We heard last week that Ernie is working on his peripheral vision for the purposes of his putting. Is that what you're doing, or not? LEE WESTWOOD: I don't even know what that is, Lewine. (Laughter). Honestly, I have no idea. I've got enough‑‑ I'm actually trying to focus on watching the ball while I'm putting, never mind what's going around everybody else; that's what peripheral means. So I'd be completely the opposite. (Laughter). Q. How has Phil changed the way you think about it, as much as technical stuff. Are you approaching things in a much more positive way? LEE WESTWOOD: I would say the difference with Phil is that my practise is a lot more structured and based around drills to make sure that I do the same thing over and over again. And other than that saying, that I'm not answering anymore questions on putting. (Smiling). Q. As a place, what do you think about Abu Dhabi? And apart from golf, what else has attracted you to the city? LEE WESTWOOD: I enjoy coming Abu Dhabi. Like I said earlier, the weather is normally pretty predictable here when it's miserable at home. The golf course that we play is great, and I've also played another one here that was very good. Like most of the Middle East, the hotels are fantastic. There's a great cricket game on about a mile down the road as well this year, so plenty going on if you're not just a golfer. It's a nice spot. Q. Did Christmas come at the wrong time? You were saying you were playing your best golf of your career and suddenly you have to go to Barbados and do all of those horrible things. Would you rather have just stayed on the road? LEE WESTWOOD: No, I felt like I needed a break. It had been a long year. I had had three weeks off before the last three events of the year, so my break sort of happens during the year when I need it to. But I certainly was ready to put the clubs away for a couple of weeks and not hit any balls. So, no, I didn't come at the wrong time. Q. Not going to ask you about your putting, but if it is going well on the greens does that affect how you're feeling on the rest of the course? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it helps your whole game. It gives you confidence; if you start making putts that you have not been making, then it takes pressure off your long game. You can be a bit more aggressive at certain flags. You're not afraid of short‑siding yourself, because if you come out of the trap to, say, ten feet, you are confident of holing it. So it does take a lot of pressure off the rest of your game. Q. Will you try anything different preparing for the Majors this year, or will it be tried and trued? LEE WESTWOOD: Not really, no. I'm quite happy with the way the Majors have gone over the last few years. I've got myself into contention, which is really all you can ask for. You can't sort of focus and make yourself win a Major Championship. All you can do is get into position and try and do the right things once you have got a chance coming around the back nine. I've done that probably better than anybody over the last two or three years, given myself a chance. So I'll prepare pretty much the same. With the exception of playing a little bit more in the States maybe in the middle part of the year; Quail Hollow and The Players, those might be two sort of tougher golf courses. Quite a while hollow is a major which I will he can check golf course and might be better preparation for the U.S. Open and things like that. That will be the only sort of slight change. Q. Just on the U.S. Tour. How many more events are you going to play this year, and how much more travelling is there going to be involved? LEE WESTWOOD: I think I played about 11 this year, and hopefully it will be 15 this year‑‑ sorry, last year. Hopefully 15 this year. I'm excited. Hopefully I can get into those FedExCup events in April time and see what they are like and hopefully do well. SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much for your time as always. Good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|