Ignoring injury may cost Lee Westwood dearly
Lee Westwood seriously thought of stepping down after his first round and he must still be thinking whether he will have enough battery in him to reach Sunday’s last round of the 2010 Alfred Dunhill Links Championships.
The European had scored a -2, even though he felt pain and was not comfortable at steep points of the course, especially on the slope at seventh hole and opined that he would step away from the tournament if his leg injury got worse.
When he finished the round on Thursday, October 7th 2010, many advised him not to take the risk of playing on. Nevertheless after doing some physic treatment and ice packing it for good time, he declared he was in a position to carry on.
It was more of a gutsy decision rather than a smart one, as he still gave himself the chance to reach the number one ranking in the world, knocking Tiger Woods off the number one spot.
However, if he had decided to withdraw, Lee would have obtained the top ranking either way by Oct 31, with the help of the golfing system that accounts for the points scored in the last two years. The alternate way for him would be to come in second place
in a maximum three way tie or if he won the tournament.
Westwood felt that to be ranked number one by that way would not seem right to him as he wanted to reach the top of the ranking by playing and deserving it. He has been playing some great golf for the last couple of years and would want to get to the summit
by playing great golf.
Commenting on his leg injury, he mentioned that he might have over worked his leg and probably put it in a more demanding situation by playing for a couple of weeks straight. According to Lee, he should have got himself in some kind of physio therapy immediately
after the 2010 Ryder Cup climaxed.
Steve McGregor, the pyhsio for Westwood who could not accompany Lee for personal reasons, has seriously told the top ranked golfer that it was quite possible for his problem to take almost 4 to 6 months to recover completely.
Westwood admitted his mistake of not undergoing treatment around a couple of months ago. He should have pulled out of the Bridgestone Open and rested after playing at St Andrews but the tournament’s exposure and glory tempted him to play and not pullout.
Although, he could have even begun therapy after the Bridgestone Open finished but he did not take the issue seriously.
This is the first time, Lee Westwood has been faced with an injury and he really does not know how to handle the situation. The pain has been coming and going for him, making him think that he is alright for some time until he is feeling uncomfortable again.
It is clear that he has a proper problem and should have handled it in a much better way right from the beginning.
He is of the view that since most of the major competitions of the year have passed and that he has also managed to pull through the Ryder Cup without costing the European side anything, perhaps now, he would look into the matter more seriously. So, Westwood
has decided to take some time off.
The only question that arises is whether he will be able to go through the next couple of days at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He has already expressed his interest in fighting the pain just for another couple of days and then undergoing professional
help whilst taking time off from the game.
His main focus has to be on getting in flawless condition by the time next year’s Masters arrive. His recent golfing past has been nothing short of brilliant and his support for Europe in the Ryder Cup was also applause worthy. He should have his fingers
crossed with the hope that he hasn't sustained an injury that is more serious than he actually thinks.
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