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BRITISH MASTERS SUPPORTED BY SKY SPORTS

September 26, 2017

Lee Westwood

Newcastle upon Tyne, England

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Lee Westwood, are you happy? Delighted. You've made my day, Gibbo.

LEE WESTWOOD: I always do.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Welcome to your own golf tournament.

LEE WESTWOOD: Thank you. It's not really my golf tournament.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: You're the host. Give us your thoughts. It's been a bigger build up than usual, and now the week's upon us, what are your thoughts.

LEE WESTWOOD: I'm delighted the week has finally arrived. It's been a fairly long road in the making, you know, trying to get everything together and having first discussions over sort of a year and a half ago. And I suppose, you know, I knew I was going to be the host of it three years ago. So there's been a lot of thought and planning gone into it.

Obviously I've been involved than I would normally at a tournament and it's given me a great appreciation of what goes into it, the hard work of The European Tour and investment of time and staff that come along a year in advance to sort everything out. It's great that it's now here and the course is looking fantastic. Got a great field together. You know, SKY are very supportive, as well. The covered tee; the promotion we've done has been massive in the local area. It's nice to do that buildup and be here ready to play, almost.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Hopefully play some golf.

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, be nice to get back to being a golfer. I said that to somebody earlier on. It was Thomas BjÃ¶rn, he says, "I bet you're fairly busy."

I said, "Yeah, I'm just going to go out and hit a few balls for two hours and play a few holes to be a golfer," and get away from talking to you lot, basically. Not that I don't love talking to you a lot.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Update on your game? You've found a bit of form.

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, started hitting the ball really well. I finished ninth in Czech Republic and played okay in Switzerland. Played well last week two, weeks ago in Holland and finished third. My game is definitely trending, if you like, using that word, in the right direction.

Yeah, I feel like maybe a win is just around the corner. It would be great if it was here this week but obviously, you know, whenever it comes, it will be fantastic.

Q. (What's the experience been like as the host)?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's given me a great appreciation for what everybody does at other tournaments and things like that. Just the media stuff away from the golf course and the stuff that I've been doing on social media and going down to Newcastle United and putting some -- with the football pitch there and doing stuff with Andrew Cole and just promoting the event, kind of not in golfing circles.

Just doing it away from the event, and a lot of articles, a lot of sort of media in the lead-up to it to try and get it out there and create a stir and a because. There's a lot that goes into tournaments.

I think it's a great idea that The European Tour have like an ambassador for tournament because that certainly helps it along and obviously need to do that a little bit more and it will encourage better fields and it's nice to get the players involved and get them giving a bit back.

Q. What does it mean to you to get the strength of players you've got?
LEE WESTWOOD: It means a lot, yeah. I think -- I don't know whether it's me, the reason why the players have turned out, but if it is, then that's fantastic. It's very nice for me. You know, the likes of Sergio doesn't play in Britain very often; committing so far in advance so we could use him in the promotion of the event.

All of the great players that have turned out: The likes of JosÃ© Maria OlazÃ¡bal and Miguel Ãngel JimÃ©nez and the good players currently like Rory and more tin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter playing is obviously great for the tournament. It should create a great atmosphere.

Q. How much if any, arm twisting did you do, and specifically Rory.
LEE WESTWOOD: I just got them all drunk and asked them when they were drunk (laughter) no, I didn't, but that would work for me.

Asked Sergio over a year ago and he said yes, delighted to. Obviously I got on with Sergio well for many years and played with him in The Ryder Cup. I asked Rory at Sergio's wedding, when we added a couple glasses of wine and said if he didn't get to THE TOUR Championship, because obviously he been playing a lot in the lead up to this and he was playing in the Dunhill, as well and he was talking about playing Italy; that he would think seriously about playing here.

Obviously didn't get to THE TOUR Championship and he committed pretty much straightaway after that. I don't know if he's playing Italy now. Maybe he's taken that out. I know he's been struggling with his game, or so people tell me but he's set pretty high standards for himself. I didn't know he had been struggling. I thought he had had a pretty good year.

It's great he put this tournament in and great he's turning out. He's one of the few players in the world that I would turn out at a golf tournament to watch, the people that you love watching and getting up close. He's one of the best players in the world.

And the likes of Alex who is defending champion, and Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Matt Fitzpatrick, Chris Wood, all these people supporting the event is obviously brilliant. It's one of the strongest fields we've had all year on Tour I think.

Q. Did you realise you were so popular?
LEE WESTWOOD: Not really. Just shows me that I've been around a long time. I obviously know a lot of people. Played with a lot of people over those 24 years. It's brilliant they have turned out and they are coming up to the northeast and Newcastle to play what is a prestigious event, and it's around a golf course that I'm attached to. I can't believe how good a field it is.

Q. When you first were asked to host this tournament, what are the key things you asked to happen in your particular tournament?
LEE WESTWOOD: Really sort of concentrate on getting the best players here, and I think we've done that pretty much. Obviously showing Close in the best light. It looks spectacular. It's in incredible condition. This time of year, obviously the leaves are starting to change, and the grasses, the fescues -- we're never short of rain up here so the fairways are nice and green. The greens are in fantastic condition. And for it just to be a great event, you know, and everybody is enjoying -- going to enjoy coming along to and seeing some fantastic golf.

Got the other things like the Hero Challenge tonight, which obviously is exciting for people to come along, see us playing at night and hitting into a par 3 and the fire works and flames and smoke going off and all that. Creates a bit of a stir and a buzz before the tournament. We've got a great celebrity Pro-Am going on tomorrow, as well.

The whole package is exactly how I wanted it, really.

Q. How pleased are you to have kept your form, or found your form? How pleasing is it?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's nice to be playing well going into this week, that's for sure. I feel like I've got a real chance. People have said, "You must know the course really well." But when you turn up on a Saturday morning and playing with your mates, you're going to play slightly differently to the way I'm going to play in the tournament this week.

There's a few holes out there where I might pull driver out straightaway and not think about it and hit ten yards short of the green. I was standing on a couple of tees out there, thinking, this is not driver; maybe this is 3-wood and leave a full shot in.

Tomorrow I'm going to go around the golf course and really sort of clear my mind and look at it from, I've never played it before, kind of aspect. Object I will I knew a few of the breaks on the greens and where to miss it and where not to miss it. Going to have a slightly different game plan for tournament golf.

Q. Presumably you know a lot of players --
LEE WESTWOOD: A couple have played in Euro Pro or a Challenge Tour event. Maybe a couple of have played it in the Senior Tour event.

I'll have probably played it more than most and Chris Paisley has played is quite a bit because he's from this area and there's a few people that played it for Graeme's charity. Danny's played it.

Yeah, there is a bit of course knowledge, but I have to rein that in, really.

Q. Obviously you've been attached here for a long time. Just describe your feelings about this place --
LEE WESTWOOD: Teeing it up on Thursday will be slightly different to playing in the club fourball, that's for sure. I've been made very well come here. Obviously get on really well with Graeme, and you know, I played with -- he was my partner in the club fourball. I'll not tell you that he let me down.

We've got such hectic schedules that we got to about the semis and then we had to sort of split and play with different partners. But obviously I know a lot of the members and I played with a lot of them, so it will be nice for them to have a tournament at their golf club and be able to walk around.

Q. Off-topic, I don't know if you were aware, Ian Woosnam is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame this evening?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I heard.

Q. Could you comment about what an honor that is?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, fantastic. All of us would like to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but obviously massive champion. When I started playing, '87, certainly, he was dominant in world golf. Pretty much won everything.

He was one of the people you wanted to go out and watch. I remember it was the first shot I ever saw in a Ryder Cup. I went to The Belfry and we parked in the car park and walked out there, walked across the first fairway and came to the fifth green. Stood by the fifth green and it happened to be Woosie hitting in. He must have been going in with a 5- or 6-iron. So started out right and drew in to three feet. I thought, I'm not going to turn professional yet. You know, he was just so impressive to watch.

I walked a few holes with him -- and Woosie has probably played one of the best nine holes of golf I've ever seen. I think it was the First of Ireland -- he was about five, 60, 7-over par. He played the 7th and hit it in the water and that was kind of his chance gone of making the cut.

18 he hit a fantastic shot with a 3-iron or something like that to three feet and I think he went around the front nine, just about like he hit it to two or three feet all the warn and just made the cut. Spectacular how good he hit it and switched it on. For me to be able to remember that nine holes of golf, just shows you how good it was. But obviously you know, former Masters Champion, former world No. 1, Ryder Cup player, and you know, he's done pretty much everything there is to do in the game. He was a great Ryder Cup Captain. And you know, I'm delighted he's being inducted, yeah.

Q. Obviously great for northeast golf fans returning to the region.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, hopefully everybody will turn out and support all the lads. But yeah, it will be nice to see some friendly faces and some people that I know in the crowd, and they do support their sporting events really well up here in the northeast, whether it be watching Newcastle in rein or coming out to the Great North Run. I know Graeme's been instrumental in bringing the Transplant Games to the northeast in a couple of years' time. They really do like their sporting events, and this is obviously great for the area that people are going to get a chance to see some of the best players in the world over a week's golf.

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Lee, thanks for joining us.

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