Wednesday, August 6, 2008

WESTWOOD TUNES INTO OAKLAND VIBE

WESTWOOD TUNES INTO OAKLAND VIBE

Already with fond memories of Oakland Hills, Lee Westwood is looking to make it a place he will never forget this week.

Westwood comes to the US PGA Championship primed for a major breakthrough at the site of one of his best golf achievements.

A member of Europe's 2004 Ryder Cup team that trounced the United States 18.5-9.5, Westwood is hoping to take the next step and win his first major championship.

"Driving in here it was nice to sort of see where everything was and bring back a few memories," Westwood said.

"It's always good to come back somewhere where you've played well in the past and you have good memories from."

But it is the memories from this year's previous majors in the USA that may be tougher to take.

Westwood tied for 11th at the Masters, but his real heartache came at the US Open, where he finished a shot behind the play-off between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.

Westwood described himself as "gutted" to miss out on the Monday showdown at Torrey Pines but he also came away knowing his game was good enough to stand up in a major.

Playing in his 12th PGA Championship this week, Westwood's best finish is a tie for 15th at Valhalla in 2002.

Woods won the PGA that year, but is not in the field - the two-time defending champion has been out since winning the US Open after knee surgery.

So Woods' absence and the good feelings Westwood has at Oakland Hills make him as good a candidate as anyone to break a European jinx at the event. Scotland's Tommy Armour was the last European to win the PGA Championship, way back in 1930.

"It's amazing that a European has not won in such a long time when you consider the strength of European golf, especially over the last few years," Westwood said.

"The likes of Nick Faldo and Seve (Ballesteros) and Woosie (Ian Woosnam) and Bernhard (Langer) nd Sam (Torrance) and people like that. And Monty (Colin Montgomerie). Monty had a good chance at a couple and amazing that none of us would win."

The European victory drought notwithstanding, Westwood is brimming with confidence as the season's final major approaches having finished second at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational last week to Vijay Singh - just a stroke off the lead.

"I'm playing all right at the moment and I hope to carry that form through," he said. "This will be a good place to start off winning. I'm carrying a lot of confidence through from last week.

"You look at the Bridgestone thing; Vijay, he doesn't play well for three months and he wins one and he starts playing well again.

"So as golfers, it's a game of confidence, and you do pick up things and sort of cling on to things that are good that have happened to you in the past."


WESTWOOD BUOYED BY AKRON SHOWING
WESTWOOD HAPPIER ON AKRON GREENS
Confidence and composure