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WGC HSBC CHAMPIONSNovember 3, 2012Lee WestwoodSHENZHEN, CHINA CHRIS REIMER: Thank you, Lee Westwood for coming by, scintillating 61 out there today, I think with a 61 and a 60, we would assume the course was there for the taking. Just some comments on your round and if that is the case. LEE WESTWOOD: I think basically the course is in great condition, and we're starting to get used to playing it. You know, it was the first time I had seen it in the Pro‑Am on Wednesday and we went around it in buggies or carts, and you don't really get a feel for it. As the week's gone on, and we've played it and walked it more, I started to sort of get a feel for the golf course more and sort of see the lower scores around it. Today was quite calm. Wasn't a great deal of breeze. You have to keep your aye on it, because it swirls around a lot out there and the course sort of goes through the valley. I played very solidly, got off to a nice start, birdied the first three holes and kept ticking over, birdieing the odd hole and finished strongly. Birdied four of the last five. I hit it good, hit it in the fairway, hit it close, and made a couple of 20‑footers which has been missing. Q. Interesting that you said you holed a couple of 20‑footers which you haven't been doing recently. Have you made any adjustments to your putting stroke in the last week or month? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I tell a lie; over the last month, month and a half, I've been working hard on my putting and I have started to see a few more go in. But today I felt really confident on the greens and actually looked at 20‑footers thinking, yeah, I'm going to make this one. Q. How long since you did that? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it's been quite a while. I've struggled on the greens.  That's been widely and comprehensively reported. Q. Which is why I'm trying to be positive. LEE WESTWOOD: Yes, no, I understand that, and so am I. You know, I'm starting to hit the ball where I need to hit it. So it's easier to judge which way the ball is going to break and what speed the ball is going to come off the putter at. I've been hitting it out of the toe a lot and puts a bit of spin on it and it's difficult to get true roll. Now I'm starting to get true roll. I've never had any problems lining up, so just a case of picking the right line on the greens. And like I said, as the week's gone on, playing the course more, starting to get a feel for the course more and that includes on the greens. But I mean, I made a few putts in Turkey‑‑ I don't know whether you made it to that event, but I shot 61 there when I beat Charl Schwartzel. You don't shoot 61s and 62s without all your game in shape and making a few putts. Q. You said it was your second 61 in three events. Where would you just rate it in rounds, top five, top ten? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, top five or six. I've shot a few 61s now and a 60. I think you'd have to‑‑ I wouldn't say this is an easy golf course by any stretch of the imagination, although we got a 60 today and there's some low scores. When you get a golf course in great condition and very little breeze, and five par 5s, then we're generally going to score low. But I think you start tohit it off‑line it gets tricky, this golf course. That's the nature of it.  The greens are quite firm and the rough is up; I'd say it's in the top five, six, yeah. Q. And the fact that you didn't have any eagles, as well. LEE WESTWOOD: No eagles, 11 birdies, seven pars. I don't think I missed a green, so it was a good, solid round. I was close on 4, 6, 8, 10‑‑ I'm talking inside sort of 18 feet and missed those. I didn't miss a green. So it was a really solid round, and no stress. Q. You started off the day 12th. Did you have your aye on the leaderboard throughout the morning and were you surprised how quickly you were able to climb up and actually take the top spot? LEE WESTWOOD: No, I didn't really have any eye on the leaderboard. I was nine behind and really just wanted to go out there with the intention of shooting somewhere, low 60s, 64, 63, to hopefully get myself within three or four for tomorrow and having a chance for Sunday. I didn't want to be seven, eight back, which 68 would probably have left me. So I just wanted to come out fast and try to get some momentum. That's just been missing from my game the last couple of weeks. I came out as quick as you like with three birdies, and that got me going and the hole started to look bigger. Q. Asia, end of the year, very low scores; do you see some kind of connections? You seem to always do well towards the end of the year in Asia, scoring‑wise? LEE WESTWOOD: I guess it takes me a while to get warmed up during the year. No, I've always played pretty well in Asia. I was trying to work out the other night how many times I've won in Asia and I can count ten at least. So quite a few tournament victories have been in Asia, and it's generally pretty hot here and it was quite steamy out there today. Obviously the conditions suit me and the grasses and the style of golf courses suit me. I've always sort of been a middle‑ to end‑of‑the‑year good player. I've always struggled at the starts of the year to start off quickly. I guess because I put my clubs away and I come out quite rusty and it takes me a while to get going, which moving to Florida shortly will remedy that and I will come out quicker at the start of the year. Other than that, I don't really know the reason for playing well. I guess, I don't know, must be the grain or rice or something like that. Q. Earlier you said you'd shot a 60. On the way in I did some research and you shot two 61s. Can you recall where the 60 was? LEE WESTWOOD: Thailand last year, in the first round. I shot 60‑64, 20‑under for two rounds. Q. Thank you, saves me researching? LEE WESTWOOD: Quite welcome. (Laughing). Q. I'm from Dubai, and your recent move to Florida and your thoughts of playing on the PGA TOUR, just wanted to know if you are going to come for the Middle East Swing? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I'm going to be playing in Dubai in two weeks' time, and then I'm going to be playing again in Dubai at the Desert Classic. That is my plan at the moment. Q. What is the highlights for all the birdies today? Is that 17 or 16? LEE WESTWOOD: Highlights? Q. The best, most impressive birdies. LEE WESTWOOD: Well, they were all pretty good. I've never made a bad birdie. (Laughter). I don't know, I made a nice putt from about 30 feet on 14. I had a good up‑and‑down on 15, plugged in the front trap and made a 15‑footer there. 16, I holed from about 15 feet and 17 I holed from about 20 feet. It was a nice run of putts on the greens there. Fancied the one at the last. Just miss‑read it really. Q. A couple of players flirted with 59, Brandt Snedeker had a putt on the last for 59 and missed it. Did that cross your mind at any point in today's rounds? LEE WESTWOOD: No, it was sort of always‑‑ no, no, it didn't. I was never far enough under to think about 59. I've shot 61 but it wasn't like I needed to birdie two out of the last four or two‑out‑of‑three. CHRIS REIMER: This is your 41st World Golf Championships event, the most of any player, you've played more of these than anyone else. LEE WESTWOOD: Really? CHRIS REIMER: Yes, you have. Do you have any impressions on how far the World Golf Championships have come, what they have become, and does it surprise you that you've played more than anyone else? LEE WESTWOOD: It does surprise me I've played more than anyone else. I didn't realise I was that old. I know I've played a lot. I never won one. Finished second a few times. And over the years, you know, they always felt big but they have increased in stature over the years. They get the best fields. Very rarely does anybody miss them out. They are a nice balance. It's nice to see one being played outside the states; with the title World Golf Championships, it's nice that one is played in China and Asia, where that's one of the places where golf can grow a lot. I think that's partly what the World Golf Championships are designed for, as well, to grow the game around the rest of the world. They play them around good golf courses and they always‑‑ no matter which one you turn up to, they always have a big tournament feel to them. CHRIS REIMER: Good luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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