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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 10, 2013Lee WestwoodPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA LAURA NEAL: We'd like to welcome Lee Westwood to the interview room. Lee moved up the leaderboard today with a bogey‑free 66. Maybe just talk us through your round and what was working for you out there today. LEE WESTWOOD: I played pretty much how I played yesterday, very solid, hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens. I haven't made a bogey yet this week, just made good, solid stuff, very patient, and played into the right areas. Q. Chipping in for eagle right off the bat, what did that do for you? Was it kind of a springboard for you? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I obviously finished off strongly last night after being as patient as I could for the first 14 holes and then birdied three of the last four. I wanted to get off to a quick start this morning. I hit a lovely 8 into 10 about four feet and missed that. So that was my first start blown. But managed to pitch in on 11 for eagle, and then played a nice pitch in to about 12, 15 feet on 12, made birdie there, and stiffed it on the next, the par‑3. So that was a good start, 4‑under after four, obviously, and just tried to build from that. Q. Your feelings about this course. What do you do to kind of reset your attitude and kind of‑‑ LEE WESTWOOD: What feelings are they? Q. About this tournament. LEE WESTWOOD: I've always loved this golf course. Q. You were asked where it ranked. So you've always liked the course then? Love the golf course, always have. It's always suited my game, and I always feel like I've played pretty well around here. I've had a few top 10s and I've had a few chances when it was played in March and when it's been played in May. So it's a golf course I always feel like I can see a way around. Q. How do you expect to play on the weekend if the conditions continue? LEE WESTWOOD: I think the golf course will toughen up, obviously. They seem to let you have a bit of a go at it over the first couple of days and then they firm it up a lot come the weekend. Certainly tomorrow teeing off at 2:00, it will be as firm as it's ever been all week. So a lot of patience is involved there. It will be sort of like a major championship‑style mentality to go out there and play disciplined golf and not attack flags when they shouldn't be attacked and try to hit a lot of fairways, so you have a lot of control on your second shot. No, I enjoy that kind of golf. It's very rewarding if you play well. Q. When did you start the frustration through the first 14 yesterday? So many chances and it just looked like getting away, but then you‑‑ LEE WESTWOOD: I didn't ever feel like it felt like getting away. Q. I mean, there was 9‑under on the board. LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, obviously you're under a little bit of pressure when you see 9‑under on the board and you haven't shot yet. But then again, you know there are good scores out there. So I played well through the first 14 holes, it just wouldn't happen for me. Sometimes you have days like that, and I kept saying that to Mike. It's just a case of being patient and showing off. I was rewarded, a couple of nice shots at 15. I made birdie. Made a birdie at 16, and made a nice birdie at the last into 18 about six feet. Q. Then the break this morning first thing, that just changes everything, doesn't it? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it's a big momentum swing if you pitch in. That's what's been missing from my game over the last couple years almost, having a few breaks. But I've worked hard on my short game, and I'm obviously getting it on line a little bit more than I used to do. I know that was a nice one to pitch in there, eagle is a bonus, and then to follow it with a couple of birdies was a good way to start the day. Q. You and Sergio are atop the leaderboard, and in this generation you guys have been probably two of the most elite players from such a young age, you guys travel together and you're friends and played so many Ryder Cups together. Do you feel like there is a bond between the two of you because you've both gone up, down, up? LEE WESTWOOD: Our careers are fairly similar. We've had peaks and troughs and things like that. Obviously, we played together in the Ryder Cup, which helped me a lot playing with Sergio at the Belfry in 2002. I was going through a bad patch there, and he was a bubbly personality and light‑hearted personality that I needed to play with that week, because I felt under a lot of pressure because my game, obviously, wasn't very good. That is probably the best I've played in a couple of years playing with him that week. I mean, if I play with Sergio, I always enjoy playing with him, so it would be a good weekend. Q. What is your take on why Hall of Fame types have not contended here very often? Woods contended here twice, Mickelson twice, Els and Singh never, Goosen once, Furyk's never been within six? LEE WESTWOOD: Didn't Vijay win it? Q. No. LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, did he finish second? Q. He was second one year, yeah. LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, not contended, okay. I remember him popping in on 16 with a putter. Q. He contended one time. The point is the big guns have not contended here. LEE WESTWOOD: And Tiger's only won it, yeah, right. It's a strange point you're trying to make. Q. Actually, it's not. He's contended twice in like 14 tries. Phil's contended twice in 20 tries. Ernie has never contended. Vijay's contended once. Can you help explain that? LEE WESTWOOD: I think it's a golf course that suits all different kinds of games.  But I think at the end of the day you have to play really well, and you have to hit a lot of fairways and hit a lot of greens. I think that's the secret to it. Obviously you have to putt well to win any tournament. But I like this golf course because it's thrown up so many different winners with different sort of characteristics in their game. I've seen Tiger win here, I've seen Fred Funk win here. You couldn't get two more different golf games. Tim Clark's more like Fred Funk. I suppose back when Greg won in '94 or something like that, he would have had a Tiger Woods‑type game. It always throws up so much drama, as well, with the finish. I just think it's a brilliant golf course, and a great one for this tournament, too. I think the golf course suits the tournament well. Q. You've been over here a few years now. Your kids are in school at Benjamin, and everything seems to be okay. Do you feel like you're settling into the PGA TOUR a little bit maybe after a few bumps in the beginning? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I certainly feel more settled into the TOUR now living here than I did when I came over for a couple of weeks. I feel like there is less pressure on me, and I can just go out and go through the motions, really, and just play golf. It's nice to go home after Quail Hollow last week and have a day off and just come up here Tuesday morning, like I would have done in Europe at tournaments. You get a break from it. It's very difficult from coming over here and playing three tournaments in a row and never getting away from the tournament or getting away from the golf course. It's very difficult to switch off and relax. So, yeah, I certainly feel a lot more settled now. Q. What is the goatee about there? LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I dived into my swimming pool and scratched my nose, my lip and my chin, so I couldn't shave for a week, and I just thought what the hell? Try to look like you but a bit lighter (laughing). Q. Are you quite enjoying being 40? LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it's just a number. I don't feel any different. I'm not approaching it any differently. I'm prepared to keep working as hard as I've always worked even though I am 40. So many people play well now in their 40s. It's not just one person; there are loads of people. Phil still plays great; Cabrera nearly won the Masters; Darren and Ernie won the last two Opens after 40 too. I think the way that players look after themselves a little bit more now with probably the exception of Darren‑‑ he'll like me for that‑‑ we can play a lot longer. We can play a lot longer and have more longevity and play good golf well into our 40s, I think. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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