THE 153RD OPEN

July 19, 2025

Lee Westwood

Mixed Zone

Q. It's probably not new news that you made the book of records with that back nine.

LEE WESTWOOD: It was a good back nine, wasn't it. The putt at the last, I'm not sure how it's missed. I was just saying, on the front nine I was looking around the golf course and I was like, oh, my God, where am I going to make a couple of birdies to get this back to half decent.

Then just started making good swings from 7 in really. Then I was looking at wow, I feel like I could birdie every hole. Just shows you you've got to be patient and never give up, right? Stick at it.

Q. Have you ever had such a difference between back nine and front nine?

LEE WESTWOOD: I'm sure I have, but this one is pretty fresh in my memory.

I just kept writing down a lot of threes on my scorecard and I was like, this is going well. I didn't even know what I needed coming down the last.

Q. How long was the putt on the last one?

LEE WESTWOOD: It guess it was about 15 feet. As soon as I hit it, I thought, oh, I've made it, it's gone right in the middle. Then it dived left inside of -- I almost thought it was going to dive right at the end. Sam's, who I was playing with, Sam's drifted off to the right and that one was perfect on left half, and it just went a little bit left. It was a mystery, that one.

Q. Did you know that nobody has ever shot 28 before --

LEE WESTWOOD: No.

Q. You didn't even know it was matching a record?

LEE WESTWOOD: No. I'm not that bothered. I'd have taken 29 on the back nine stood on the 10th tee.

Q. You've been playing some spectacular golf --

LEE WESTWOOD: Well, since Washington really. I shot 62 final day there. But I've felt like I've been swinging it well for a few weeks now.

Q. Could you feel something switching on, or what was that point in --

LEE WESTWOOD: I've got some good swing thoughts at the moment throughout any game. I've got some good swing thoughts on my long game, good on my short game and bunker play, not that I needed it much today. Chip-in feels good. And on the greens, the putting, I feel like I'm starting it on line with some nice pace.

It's been tough to judge the pace the first two days on the greens with the rain coming in and then it drying up and then the rain coming in. The greens seemed to have been varying very quickly, but today obviously with the conditions a bit more consistent, it was easier to get the pace of the greens and just roll with it because it wasn't changing that much.

Q. When the sun is shining and you're playing that well at an Open with crowds like that at The Open, does it get any better?

LEE WESTWOOD: Probably not, no. I was just saying it's the best walk in golf, the walk to the 18th green at The Open.

Q. Seeing how you played today and how you're playing this week, do you wish you could play more links golf during the year?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I've always said it would be nice to play more links golf. I think it's the best form of golf, the purest really. It's how golf courses originally were laid out, right? The R&A always get the Open Championship course wherever you're playing in fantastic condition.

Portrush is pretty spotless this week.

Q. Mrs. Westwood have anything to say during that back nine?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, there were some pearls of wisdom coming out of Mrs. Westwood's mouth today.

Q. Can you share one?

LEE WESTWOOD: What did she say? Something about not expecting to be 4-over through 6.

Q. You're rubbish?

LEE WESTWOOD: But there's a few birdie chances, I think she said. And then on the 10th tee it was the key one: Do you want half a tuna sandwich. If you start appealing to my stomach, then there's only one way for me. That's that way.

Q. That's the secret, right?

LEE WESTWOOD: Nothing gets me going like a tuna sandwich. (Laughter.)

Q. Why don't you have it on the first hole the next time.

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I'm going to have a tuna sandwich on the first tee tomorrow.

Q. Scottie is pretty far ahead, but top 10 would get you into next year --

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah. I mean, I've set no goals for this week at all whatsoever. That's why I really wasn't that disappointed when I was 4-over through 6 because I thought, it's the Open Championship, how many more am I going to get to play, you might as well enjoy it. There's no point in being 4-over through 6 and sulking and being miserable and thinking, there goes my Open Championship chance this year. You might as well just enjoy the surroundings, enjoy the feedback from the crowd because they're great, and just plot along and try and figure out what was going wrong with my swing and why I was 4-over through 6, turn it around.

Patience is the key sometimes, and 52 years of age, I've got plenty of knowledge of my golf swing, and I figured it out, figured it out quick.

Q. You don't have to prove anything to anybody; must feel pretty good, thought, coming back in 29?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, no, I didn't even know I'd shot 29 until I sat down in the scorer's tent and it was up there.

Q. Must have felt good.

LEE WESTWOOD: I knew I was playing well. I sort of had it on a string and was hitting it in all the right spots. It's nice to play golf like that when you're not thinking.

Q. In terms of next year, would you have any particular memories of Birkdale or how would you rate it?

LEE WESTWOOD: I love Birkdale. It's one of my favorite golf courses. I played it about a month and a half ago, and they've made some changes, and I don't want to judge it too early. But I didn't think they were -- they'd improved it.

Q. Quite different?

LEE WESTWOOD: It's very different, yeah. The changes they've made will take some bedding in.

Q. You've shot a couple of 62s in the last couple years. Where does this back nine rank in terms of a nine-hole stretch for you? When is the last time you felt like that?

LEE WESTWOOD: Well, rather than rank it, I shot 62 in Washington the final day, and there is no reason why I shouldn't shoot low scores. I've always shot low scores in my career. I'm not afraid to, when a make a few birdies, carry on and make more. I don't get defensive or anything like that. I've always just had this thought of just carrying on and just keep on going for it.

So rather than rank it, it's just a sign that when I do get the right thoughts in my head with my golf swing, I'm capable of shooting low scores. What's nice is I've done some work -- a lot of work with Andy Paisley on my putting since sort of April time, and now I'm looking at 20-footers thinking I've got a chance of holing this because they're starting where I'm aiming, and I've always been a pretty good green reader.