LIV GOLF NEW YORK

August 7, 2026

Lee Westwood

Trump National Golf Club Bedminster

Majesticks Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome to the media center Lee Westwood, co-captain of Majesticks Golf Club. Well-played, 6-under 65, currently in second place. How are you feeling halfway through the event?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, pretty good. Handling the conditions well and the golf course. It's not an easy golf course. It's a major championship style golf course. It's set up like that. It's very long. The rough is thick. The greens are fast.

Yeah, pleased with the position I'm in and the way I've played. I've hit the ball good, drove it well. Not been in the rough too often and putted nicely, as well, and got up-and-down when I needed to. Yeah, I'm pleased with the way things have gone over the first two days.

Q. We started a little bit earlier today to try and avoid some possible afternoon storms. Did the earlier start provide any reprieve from the heat or was it pretty similar to yesterday?

LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, obviously we've done well to get the round in with what's coming. The early tee off synchronized nicely with my jet lag. I've been waking up about 6:00, and that's about the time my alarm went off. Yeah, no issues for me. It was nice to get out there and get it done.

Q. The 50-somethings obviously have come to play this week, between you, Poults yesterday, Blandy shot 64 today. On a course that's 7,600 yards and a lot of heat, does it seem to be a disadvantage to maybe being a little bit --

LEE WESTWOOD: Older?

Q. A little bit less --

LEE WESTWOOD: Older?

Q. Yeah, thank you.

LEE WESTWOOD: It's all right, you can say it. You're older than me, so I feel like a kid when you're talking to me.

Yeah, I don't know what the reason for that is. I guess with the advancements in technology over the years, the older guys are still getting it out there. We're by no means the three longest players, but I would say all of us carry it somewhere between -- somewhere around 290 yards. If you can hit it 290 yards in the middle of most fairways, I've always said that I'll take that. I'm never going to be one that is like a 340 bomber, but put me 290, 295 down the middle of most fairways, and I feel like I've got a chance around a golf course.

Q. When you saw that Bedminster was on the schedule for this year, were you excited about it because of how you played in 2022? Or were you not excited about it because of 2023?

LEE WESTWOOD: I really had mixed emotions about it, I suppose. But I don't really look at it like that. I take the course on its merits, and this is an excellent golf course. This should suit the best players, the people that hit the most fairways and the most greens and make the fewest mistakes and roll in a few putts.

I think it's a very fair, difficult golf course.

Q. Speaking of '23, does that give you a chip on your shoulder to come back here to a course and maybe show that you can play well on this course again?

LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. Some weeks you play well, some weeks you play badly. The weeks you play badly, you try and forget and move on, and the weeks you play well you try and remember to build your confidence. So no, not really.

Q. You'll start tomorrow five back of Joaco, 36 holes left. What do you think the game plan will be?

LEE WESTWOOD: I'm just going to keep the same game plan, to try and keep on doing what I've done over the first couple of days. I'm delighted with 8-under par after two days. Joaco is obviously a world-class player. For me, he's top 20 in the world.

When he's on his game, he can run away with a tournament.

Everybody is human, and everybody makes mistakes, and everybody feels pressure. So we'll just see what happens, really. I'll just try and control what I can control.

Q. So far this week you lead the field in strokes gained putting. This year your putter has been up and down. Is there something this week that felt good about your putting stroke or technically you've changed or just one of the weeks where the putts are going in?

LEE WESTWOOD: Where am I on it?

Q. First.

LEE WESTWOOD: That's good, innit? I've been working hard with Andy Paisley back in the northeast, and I've got my own putting studio at home now, so if I do go and practice, I practice my putting a lot more and it's on a nice smooth surface. I've been able to do a lot more practice through the winter, so that's probably paying dividends.

I'm certainly putting well this week. I've holed my fair share, I'd say, yeah.

Q. You've been in contention a couple of times over the last few years out here. How important would it be for you to get a win before it's all said and done in your career out here on LIV?

LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it's something I'd like to do, obviously. But it won't define my career on LIV, really, regardless of what happens in the future.

I'm kind of at the age now where I just tee it up and try and have a fun, enjoyable week, and if I play well, I play well, right? That's the way everybody should play the game. You prepare hard and try and prepare thoroughly for each tournament and then you just kind of roll the dice. If they turn up the way you want them to, you have a chance.

Some weeks you play great and you don't find yourself in contention. Some weeks you feel like you play poorly, almost slightly beware the injured golfer kind of thing. I've been on the range and hit the ball terrible and then gone out and shot 64. Expectations in golf are a terrible thing. You've just got to load the dice in your favor.

Q. Is this a big week for the Majesticks? The season is showing 12th place, 34 points, and Ian is having a good week; you're right up here. This is a pretty big week for the team and you; is that correct?

LEE WESTWOOD: I think every week should be a big week for the team. We should be trying our hardest every week. Some weeks, like I said, we're going to play well and other weeks we're not. I guess we're not the longest hitters of all the teams, and the golf courses out here tend to be set up a little bit more favoring the longer hitters. But there's certainly weeks where we feel like we can contend and we should have contended more than we have done.

We just seem to be rounding into good form now. I guess we're coming off our best ever result, a fifth place in England, and we've managed to keep that momentum going. Hopefully we'll all play well over the weekend and have a chance.

Q. Just wanted to ask you, obviously a lot of golfers here have had big moments in New York, New Jersey, in the area. I'm curious with someone like Phil Mickelson who's sort of synonymous with golf in this area and a lot of big moments, you've known him a lot in your career, what's it been like this year not having him out there as much? I'm curious if you've had the chance to talk to him recently and get a sense of how he's doing.

LEE WESTWOOD: No, I've not spoken to him, but obviously Phil is a big draw. He has a lot of fans. He would attract more fans to any tournament he played in.

There's certain people over the years that's moved the needle, and Phil is one of them.