Golf Update: World number one Lee Westwood’s year ahead
World Number one player defended his decision to miss the Player’s Championship of the PGA Tour. Posting a 3under par 69 at the Abu Dhabi Championship today, Westy told the media why he is not going to take part in the unofficial fifth major of golf. Lee
also criticised the PGA Tour members for not going to Europe to take part in events there.
"I am not a member of the PGA Tour so I don't need to play the event," Westwood told Reuters."After the two opening World Golf Championships (events) I would bracket our (European Tour) PGA Championship in May as just as important as it offers
exemption for anybody in the world's top 50 to play," he added."I don't see many of them (Americans) wanting to take up that offer. So you can't really please everyone, can you?"
Surely, Westy’s decision to not be part of the elite field will not make the PGA Tour very unhappy and looks like Lee doesn’t really care if it does. Following 2010, the divide between European and American golf has seemingly increased. Along with Westwood,
Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer ended their US Tour Membership as well.
Europeans truly dominated golf in 2010. Three out of the four major championships were won by Europeans. The performance the European team, led by Colin Montgomerie, gave at the Ryder Cup was unforgettable as well. With the Americans losing the Grand event
at Celtic Manor, most of the accomplishments were taken by European players. Talking about accomplishments, Lee Westwood would be surely on the top as he displaced the American Tiger Woods as world number one. Westwood ended the five year long reign of golf’s
ex-top cat as he became the highest ranked player in October 2010.
Since Lee is not an official member of the PGA, he is entitled to take part in three other tournaments along with the world championships and majors. Westwood will be participating in his game in America from February 23-27 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play
Championship in Arizona. Following that, Lee will take part in the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The player will also take part in the Shell Houston Open, which is just a week prior to the first major of the year, The Masters.
The Players Championship being in May, Westwood wants to take some time off and be with his family instead. The player will then return to America to defend his title at the St. Jude Championship in June.
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