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DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 28, 2005

Lee Westwood

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

SCOTT CROCKETT: Tell us what you've been up to the last couple of weeks, you played in Singapore and were second there?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, when I got back I played okay, but couldn't really finish anything up. Then had a week off, played well in Singapore, finished second to Adam; he ran away with it, played great. And then I had two weeks off and played with the kids, watched some team golf, and get ready for this week.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Did you enjoy watching the team golf?

LEE WESTWOOD: I enjoyed it immensely, yeah. I enjoyed the Seve Trophy, the passion in that, and the exhibition in America and the comments from some of their players.

Q. Did you hear comments from DiMarco?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, a couple of times, yeah, I thought that was nice.

Q. What did you think of that that there is hatred in the Ryder Cup?

LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it's not from our side, so it must be from theirs. How a veteran of one Ryder Cup ,can say that, I don't know about that. So it's beyond me. If you thought last time was bad in Detroit, he should have been in Boston, shouldn't he.

Q. Not helpful that kind of remark?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, just made me laugh, and then Paul for what he said at the start of the year and Chris thinks it's all right to do it on TV. Your words can't even be misinterpreted.

Q. It still obviously helped

LEE WESTWOOD: No, it doesn't exist, you know. There is no hatred in the Ryder Cup, certainly from well, I can only speak for myself. It's just very, very competitive and you want to beat your partners, but at the end of the day, I think anybody that plays in the Ryder Cup, I could have sat down with and had a beer.

Q. More of a passion than hatred?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, there's lots of passion. I don't think it makes any difference whether you play with these guys every week, which, you know he said that that made a difference. At the end of the day, each player on their team

Q. Maybe he was excited because it was the first time America had won any team event in a while?

LEE WESTWOOD: no, I think he's right. It was an exciting finish and he did very well, you know, when it looked like it was all going wrong for him to win the last two holes. He obviously did very well to win his match. Obviously turned the result with Couples' putt on the last and his result, it's obviously turned in their favour and it started getting away from him, but he's that kind of competitor, gutsy, battle it out type of guy.

Q. Do you think his captain will be embarrassed by this?

LEE WESTWOOD: Lehman? Well, I think both captains are trying to treat it in the right manner the way it should be treated as an ultra competitive match between two good sides.

It's probably no disrespect to the Presidents Cup, but it's (the Ryder Cup) is the highlight of team golf around the world. The Presidents Cup just doesn't have the history to it yet and I don't think it can really be compared to the Ryder Cup.

Q. Do you think there's was more passion this year in the Presidents Cup?

LEE WESTWOOD: Only really when he got to singles I thought, the last hour. They played for four days. There's passion in the practice rounds at the Ryder Cup.

Q. Would you have passion if you played someone like Darren Clarke?

LEE WESTWOOD: I want to beat him, like today, but we'll sit down afterward and have a pint of Guinness.

Q. Do you think the captains have to get a grip of things?

LEE WESTWOOD: Before it gets out of control? Yeah, I think it should be in the hands of the players as well, shouldn't it. Like I said, we'll treat it with the right kind of spirit and we're very, very passionate about it.

Q. Does it need someone in authority though?

LEE WESTWOOD: I think it should all be just forgotten and people made aware. I thought the last Ryder Cup was played in a great spirit and the one at The Belfry. I think everybody has learned from Boston. So to drag it on like they did when it doesn't exist made no sense to me.

Q. In the last Ryder Cup it was said that DiMarco was the only American with any passion for the contest?

LEE WESTWOOD: Did they? I don't mind a bit of fist pumping, that's fine. I have no objections to passion, to passion being shown. That's not what we're talking about, is it?

Q. What do you think about winning the Ryder Cup for the third time in a row?

LEE WESTWOOD: I think it's too close. I think the Ryder Cup in general is too close of a contest to call things like that a year before the teams are formed.

I would think the Ryder Cup next time will be as close as ever but hopefully, hopefully we'll win. We'll have the advantage of being on home soil and with probably some of the best fans, the Irish people are great fun and make people feel very welcome, as welcome as anybody in the world. So I think the next Ryder Cup will be fantastic, probably one of the best ever.

Q. Did you watch the Seve Trophy and wish you were there?

LEE WESTWOOD: Not really. I had a tough year this year as far as traveling and things like that and scheduling is concerned. I've got three tough weeks coming up with the AMEX next week and then Vegas the week after, which are my last two events in the States. Still trying to qualify for my card which I'd like to do; I've been taking my card up.

So I just felt like after being in America for three weeks and then going to Singapore, I needed a couple of weeks off to get ready for this. It's no reflection of what I think about the Seve Trophy. I think it's got it's place in the calendar and I think it's good that you get the guys together for some match play golf every other year in between the Ryder Cups. I'm sure Woosie watched it last week and learned a few things about his pairings, a few options that he got that he might not have thought he had before last week. It looked competitive enough I think.

Q. How much do you think you'll need to play next year in America?

LEE WESTWOOD: I don't know, I think about $120,000.

Q. How would you sum up your year?

LEE WESTWOOD: A successful season I think. Although I've not had a win or so many good results, I feel like I've played a lot better in the bigger tournaments, given myself chances and got right in there in things like the U.S. Open and the PGA; the TPC, led after two days. So I think playing over in the States has done me a lot of good and I've enjoyed it, enjoying mixing with the players over there and playing on the courses a bit more regularly.

Q. Do you know your schedule over in the States yet for next year?

LEE WESTWOOD: Oh, probably a bit probably Qatar and Dubai, and then go over to L.A. and play in the Match Play, things like that.

Q. Will your schedule be governed where you are in the Ryder Cup standings?

LEE WESTWOOD: It might. I might change at the end of the year. I don't have plans at the moment, but I can't see myself and coming back and chasing points just to keep it up to get into the Ryder Cup.

Seems like a good week to start, Qatar, Dubai, Match Play, maybe Singapore.

Q. Abu Dhabi?

LEE WESTWOOD: I don't think I would play that, that's a bit early in the year for me.

Q. What's the schedule here for rest of the year?

LEE WESTWOOD: Volvo Masters, HSBC China, Nelson Mandela, maybe try and fit one in there somewhere, maybe Hong Kong, maybe Japan, somewhere or Sun City; I wouldn't mind running down there for a week.

These are big weeks coming up. Somebody could secure their Ryder Cup place over the next few weeks. You win this week and have a good week at the tournament in China or the AMEX, even going and playing in Vegas, there's World Ranking points and the Volvo Masters there's big money and World Ranking points. It will start to take shape over the next few weeks, but it's by no means finalized by Christmas. There's a lot that's up for grabs next year. It will start to take shape, though.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Lee, thanks as always. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.

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