Westwood jubilant at St Jude, eyeing US Open victory
Lee Westwood has sometimes been criticised for his ability to close tournaments on US soil, but yesterday he profited from another player's heinous collapse, the Englishman taking his first victory on the PGA Tour in 12 years.
Westwood must have believed yet another second place finish beckoned for him at the St Jude Classic as Robert Garrigus started the 72nd hole at TPC Southwind needing just a double bogey to secure victory. But the American suffered an attack of the Jean Van de Veldes as his tee shot disappeared into the water before his attempt at a recovery veered wildly off into the trees.
The 32-year-old Garrigus, yet to win on the PGA Tour, eventually finished the hole on a triple bogey seven. That meant a play-off, and a reprieve for Westwood, who must have thought his chance had gone. He and Sweden's Robert Karlsson were both now tied for the lead with Garrigus, but sadly the American couldn't regain his composure, bogeying the first sudden-death play-off hole - the same 18th he'd just fouled up in such eye-watering style - to drop out of the competition.
From there Westwood and Karlsson duelled it out over a further three holes before Westwood birdied the fourth extra hole to claim that long awaited second win in the US - his first since 1998, when he won the Freeport-McDermott Classic in New Orleans. And even if the 37-year-old finally won in Memphis with a sizeable slice of luck, he had led for much of the competition. Westwood looks a real contender at this week's US Open - particularly given his recent record at majors.
Westwood's last three performances have seen him finish in third place at the Open and the PGA Championship, before finishing runner-up to Phil Mickelson at the Masters earlier this year. And while all the talk has been of Mickelson toppling Tiger Woods from the No. 1 position, if Westwood can out-perform Mick at Pebble Beach this week, he could overtake the Californian as the No. 2.
Not that Westwood will be taking anything for granted - for now, he's just pleased with the victory. "It's definitely nice to win again. Nobody likes negative questions when you try to be positive all the time," he said after the win.
"You get into contention and sometimes you don't finish off. [But] in my career, I've had highs and lows. I've dropped down in the world rankings and come back up it. So to be contending for golf tournaments is a real positive."
Westwood will be playing in the same group as Tiger Woods and Ernie Els at the first two rounds of the US Open; all three players are capable of challenging for the tournament.
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