Lee Westwood says tough battle expected at Qatar Masters
Lee Westwood appears to be in high spirits these days. The world number 3 is in Qatar to participate in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, scheduled to be held from February 2-5, at Doha Golf Club.
He has vowed that he will do his best to make it to the top positions on the leaderboard.
However, the Englishman admitted that carving out a victory in the Middle East will not be easy, as Qatar Masters may prove to be the hardest of all the 3 events in the region.
Westwood said Doha Golf Club will be much better this year. Recounting his last experience on the course, he said there were moments during the tournament when the rough started to annoy players.
"Apparently the rough's not as long as it was last year, but the weather man says it's going to be fairly windy," he said and added that the match will prove to be a tough test, given the scenario forecast.
However, he said that things may turn around if the wind remains good.
"It could quite easily be an eight under or nine under par winning golf course. You just have to play every hole and every shot on its merits and not get too preoccupied with the previous years".
Sharing his thoughts about the new season, he said that he happened to be a little slacker as he picks up pace gradually.
He cited the example of Abu Dhabi where he finished 17th and let Rory McIlroy walk all over him in terms of world ranking. McIlroy now ranks 2nd.
Westwood, who currently ranks 3rd, will play the strong field comprising leading players but he said that he will try to grab his first ever victory in the Masters.
The 38-year-old star is appearing in the Masters for the 7th time in a row. In spite of his phenomenal performance in most of the tournaments last year, Westwood has not been able to display his best form at Doha Golf Club.
Westwood's performance was good throughout the 2011 season. He managed to win a number of prestigious events.
Winning in South Africa boosted his confidence and he is now determined to continue on the winning track.
Although Westwood does not seem satisfied with his performance in the Qatar Master, he reckons that he has what it takes to break his winning drought.
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