Lee Westwood admitted that age was catching up with him during the final round of The Players Championship after finishing as runner-up for the second successive week.
The 47 year old led by two heading into the final round at TPC Sawgrass but failed to break par for the first time all week to finish one shot behind Justin Thomas in the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
The Englishman had also led after the third round at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational but was denied victory by Bryson DeChambeau and he conceded that fatigue played its part in not producing his ‘A’ game as the tournament entered ints final day.
“Obviously, when you’re in contention, you’d like to win every tournament you’re playing in, but I didn’t quite have my game today,” said the Race to Dubai champion. “I don’t know what it was. Maybe I just haven’t played a lot of golf. I hate to say it, age is catching up with me. Yesterday I felt like my legs were just starting to get a bit tired and weak, and today I just didn’t feel like I had my legs under me. I was hitting shots I don’t normally hit. The ones right off 2, 4, and 11 were poor shots – I couldn’t quite find the strike.”
Westwood had started the final round with just two blemishes on his card over the last 54 holes but soon added to that tally after some wild tee shots, including at the fourth where he sliced his ball into a penalty area on his way to one of four bogeys in the round.
With a top and a slice, both DeChambeau and Westwood find the water on No. 4. pic.twitter.com/ZAikGR1k5O
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2021
Despite not sealing a first PGA Tour title in 11 years, Westwood refused to get down about the result and focussed on the positives of the last two weeks after moving back into the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I’m just having so much fun,” said the 25-time European Tour winner.
“Everybody keeps telling me how old I am. I’m 48 in a month’s time, and I’m still out here contending for tournaments and playing in final groups with great players like Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas and people like that. It’s just a joy to be involved and still playing well and being able to contend.”
“What do I take from the two weeks? Just a lot of pride. I ground it out today and gave myself a chance.
“Last week was also very good. These are world-class fields and these are young guys that I’m giving 20, 25 years to most of them, and I’m still contending. I’m enjoying it. It’s a thrill to be out here and still playing well.”
Thomas surges
Thomas produced some sublime golf to card a four under par 68 as he came from three back to win his 14th PGA Tour title on 14 under. The American started with seven straight pars before dropping a shot on the eighth but quickly surged to the summit of the leaderboard after carding birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie to reach 14 under par after 12 and give himself a two-stroke lead.
The 27 year old missed a par putt on the 14th, his first from inside three feet this season, and Westwood quickly drew level after making birdie at the same hole but Thomas edged once clear again with birdie at 16.
A pair of pars on the closing stretch was enough for Thomas to see out the win after Westwood had effectively ended his chances with bogey at 17, knowing only an eagle at the par four last would force a play-off. Westwood finished with birdie to finish second while DeChambeau was a shot further back alongside Brian Harman in third spot.
“Obviously it means a lot to win this tournament,” said Thomas, who became only the fourth player to win a Major, The Players Championship, a WGC and the FedEx Cup after Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson.
“It’s a huge championship, very special. It’s a tournament I’ve wanted to win, a tournament that I truly did feel like I was going to win at some point, and hopefully multiple times. I love the golf course. It was in incredible shape this week. The greens were so good. The fairways were perfect and the rough was long. It’s just a great test of golf – that’s why it’s a PLAYERS Championship.”
