Q. Have you had an albatross before?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, haven't had an albatross before, no, not even in practice. I'm absolutely delighted about that. I thought I was going to go my whole career without an albatross.
Standing on the tee earlier, I spoke with Anthony (ph), he said, "It's only this far for an albatross." Sure enough, make one two holes later, three holes later.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: First, I went to see him, really sat me down instead of standing on the range, try this, try this, try this. He had a clear, identifiable path that made a lot of sense to me and a good route to go down. That was the eureka moment. I could see where I was coming from and where we were going to.
Q. How long did he think it would take?
LEE WESTWOOD: He didn't say how long it would take.
Q. What did you think --
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, I didn't have any ideas about how long it would take. For all I knew we were going to come back, it was going to take a bit of grinding and getting comfortable with it on the golf course more than anything.
Q. When was it --
LEE WESTWOOD: Getting comfortable on the golf course? I would say back at the beginning of February, and every time I've been to see him since, the script never changes. We work from the same idea and it's great.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: He said, "You're going to be swinging really well."
Q. Where is he now?
LEE WESTWOOD: In Florida. I'll probably be ringing him a bit later on and telling him what I feel in my swing and what I've been working on.
The bad shots aren't as bad and the good shots are more regular. Distance control is a lot better. I've got the ability at the moment, if I've got 218, obviously to turn the power on a bit and hit the 4-iron a bit low so it's going to run up there. It's nearly the perfect shot. I suppose it's the perfect shot because it went in. But a lot of shots go in when you don't hit them properly. But this one, the flight was right, the trajectory was right, and it did what I wanted it to when it hit the green.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: I wasn't on my best in 2000. I felt like I was swinging my best and playing my best in 1998. I just felt like I gained a lot of experience in 2000 and I had to learn how to win a lot better.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's still very difficult to tell, really. I'm certainly longer, but with technology and the ball, I don't know. It's certainly coming back. Certainly feels as good as it did in 1998, '99 and better than it did in 2000.
And the way Dave is teaching me as well, it's going to benefit the way I play on links courses, as well. I've always struggled to shape the ball into the wind and keep the trajectory down. The technical things that we are working on will help me do that.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: Absolutely. I hit 2-iron into 17 on Carnoustie the first day, ten feet off the ground and let it run up there. I could not hit that shot four years ago, three years ago.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, the better I play, the more often I play better, or the more often I play well and the lower scores I shoot, the confidence will come back as a result of that, really. When you talk about the 4-iron into No. 9, what I felt like was a perfect shot, that can only give you confidence.
Q. How much does coming over affect --
LEE WESTWOOD: I was content, away from the golf course, anyway. I've always been able to separate work and my home life. But obviously I would rather play well than play poorly.
Q. When was your first time on the Old Course?
LEE WESTWOOD: On the Old Course, I was about 16 years old, maybe 17, 16 years old.
Q. How did you fare?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't remember. Couldn't tell you. I don't think I fared well -- but the Old takes a lot of learning and a lot of appreciating, which I've done over time. It would mean an awful lot, obviously to win. This is a very historic place in all of golf and a very big tournament with a classy field. I'll try tomorrow, and things might go my way, things might not, but after three years, just happy to be back in contention and playing well.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: No. I'm fed up with talking about it.
GORDON SIMPSON: You can see possibilities opening, World Golf Championships, World Ranking, things like that.
LEE WESTWOOD: Missed the cut on the Lancome and came up three spots in the world rankings, could not figure that out. Finished ninth, fell three spots on the world rankings and went down one spot in the Order of Merit. It's a bit of a mystery to me, these rankings, but I think they are fairly representative of the way people are playing. And if you play well, you shall climb up them. Playing well in a good field like this week will help.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: My wife, probably need to speak to her. It's very difficult to park it.
Q. Playing the Old Course now --
LEE WESTWOOD: Just learn to appreciate it and like it. The way I've been playing it now -- I suppose it would be a way of playing it and he showed me why I was hitting it good. And hitting it down the left is not always the best way to play it. Occasionally you have to take a chance. It's a very good risk/reward course. Take a chance, hit it down the right and it opens up the flag. It really tests you mentally more than anything. It tests your patience when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive.
Q. Inaudible?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. I'm only 30 years old. I'm just enjoying playing well. I played badly and not really enjoyed golf for three years. It's nice to go out and hit good shots. It's like turning pro again really for me. It's like a kid again.
Q. Do you have any targets you have set?
LEE WESTWOOD: I used to set targets, but targets are for other people. They never really meant much to me. What if I set a target to get into the Top-50 in the world, and then I get to the Top-50, what do I do next week, set another target? Occasionally it can get in the way. You set a target and you get consumed with reaching that goal and it knocks you back. There's a lot of rubbish talking about goals and targets.
GORDON SIMPSON: Great round again. Well played. Good luck again tomorrow.
End of FastScripts.
