The dust has barely settled on the 25th win of Lee Westwood’s European Tour career and he’s already put it behind him to focus on another good showing at this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.
The 46-year-old celebrated in Abu Dhabi on Sunday by watching Liverpool vs Manchester United and later enjoyed watching his beloved San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl, but now it’s back to business at an event where he has been runner-up no fewer than three times.
Get used to winning
“I think the more you win, the more you get used to getting back to being on an even keel,” said Westwood. “A lot of people, if they are won early in their career, they struggle to bring themselves back again, but I’ve won a lot of tournaments and I’ve won weeks back-to-back.”
Westwood’s win saw him win across four different decades and now back inside the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking he can enjoy mapping out a schedule that includes all the Majors and World Golf Championships.
Big achievement
“Winning across four different decades – that’s obviously a big achievement,” he said. “I’m proud of that, but I’ve got to come back down for this week and get focussed on trying to play well again. I might play great and not win this week. But obviously playing great is a priority.”
Ryder Cup possibility
The victory – his second Rolex Series title in two years – has opened the door to the possibility of an 11th playing appearance in The Ryder Cup later this year before he inevitably serves as Captain in the coming years. But before that fully appears on his radar he’s determined to put in a good showing on the Majlis course this week.
“There’s a lot of good holes on this golf course,” he said. “I think 6 is probably the toughest hole – you’ve got to hit the fairway because the green is so narrow. And I think 18 is a cracking finishing hole which always provides excitement. The 8th is one of the most spectacular holes and I think with the new tee box on the 9th that’s going to become a sneaky hard hole again this week.
“Whenever I’ve come out here on holiday, I’ve come here and I’ve always enjoyed playing this golf course. Obviously you look the results, you’d say it suits me.” – Lee Westwood
