Lee Westwood worth his No. 1 place - at least according to Tiger
With the WGC HSBC Champions teeing off on Thursday, Lee Westwood faced the world's press in China yesterday - where the new No. 1 was forced to defend his recently conferred status as the finest golfer on the planet.
Told that no less an authority than Sir Nick Faldo, the last European No. 1, had earlier suggested that the new man at the top needed to win a major in order to prove his worth, Westwood showed an understandable hint of irritation. "I would agree with him," the Englishman commented. "I don't need Nick to tell me that. That's fairly obvious."
Because of the way the rankings are calculated, taking a two-year period of play into account, Westwood took the top spot in a week when neither he or Woods were in competition. That meant the 37-year-old's ascent to the top felt unavoidably anticlimactic. But Westwood is also facing the criticism that, because of his failure to win a major, he is unworthy of the No. 1 spot.
One of Westwood's more outspoken critics has been Butch Harmon, Tiger Woods' former swing coach -and a man who lived up to his reputation as something of a blowhard yesterday. Employing the bombastic language of a teenager, Harmon claimed the ranking system "sucked", making the admittedly reasonable point that Martin Kaymer has been the best player this year, before pointing out Westwood's inability to win a major.
Westwood's consistent high finishes at majors have helped propel him to the top of the rankings, but so far he has just fallen short of actually winning one of golf's big four tournaments. But while others were criticising the Briton, the man Westwood deposed from the No. 1 spot had only positive things to say about the new top dog.
Talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Woods said: "Lee's been by far the most consistent of all the players in the majors over the last two years. He hasn't won one but he's come so close. It's just a matter of time."
Elsewhere in Westwood's press conference, the Worksop-born player offered a more relaxed demeanour, telling reporters: "World No. 1 sounds good. It's the pinnacle of the sport - and it's been exciting to get to the position."
But the player, who plummeted as low as 266th in the world seven years ago, was also aware that his new status was hardly assured great longevity.
"It's one thing getting there; another thing staying there. It's obviously very close at the moment."
While a win this week would prove a fine means to quieten his detractors, Westwood himself acknowledges it's a big ask after his lay-off with a calf muscle problem.
"It's just unfortunate that I've got this injury," he admitted. "It's a case of having to manage it at the moment and edge my way through till the end of the season."
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