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THE QUINN DIRECT BRITISH MASTERS

September 23, 2007

Lee Westwood

WISHAW, ENGLAND

RODDY WILLIAMS: Okay, Lee, the 2007 Quinn Direct British Masters Champion. You've had some pretty special moments at The Belfry; how does this one compare?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it's right up there. I mean, it wasn't an easy day out there. The wind was obviously blowing fairly strong, and just felt in control. I felt like I've been in control all week. Hit a lot of good shots, knock-down shots when I needed to. The 6-iron into 5 was one of my favourites of the day, and I didn't make the putt from about ten or 12 feet. Just a great day. Knock-down shot into 8, knock-down shot into 9; the shots I have been struggling with.
Played good, and yeah, the 2-putt on 16 and 17 are the ones people are going to remember, but I always felt like I was ahead of everybody. I was obviously on the golf course, and came out strong and got out front and was making birdies before anybody else and putting pressure on everybody else.
And it's difficult, even like 17, you'd think that was an obvious birdie chance. If somebody is putting pressure on you, it's not an easy fairway to hit and Ian made just made birdie.
Coming up the last, I felt comfortable and like my game was enough to be able to take it far enough right on that last tee. I said to myself on the tee, what are you thinking about, keeping it out of the water for, you've not missed a driver all day. Aimed at the left edge of the trap and turned it up on the wind and did that and left myself 3-iron in. The two shots at the last were nearly as good as I'd hit all week.
RODDY WILLIAMS: And after the eagle on 17, what was the reception like coming up the last?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't think I've ever been clapped the entire length of the final hole before which is obviously very, very special. The galleries have been very supportive this week with me only living just around the corner basically. It was great to give them something to cheer about. I don't know who cheered loudest on 17, me or the gallery.

Q. You were saying out there about the putt on 16 was the same as five years ago in the Ryder Cup; was it very similar?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, very similar yeah. Similar distance and similar how it went in. It was amazing.
I wish I'd have played the next hole like I played that one today, I should have done back then. It was me and Sergio against Davis Love and Tiger Woods, and I made that one to go 1-up. And neither of us birdied 17 and actually putted last, so that was all a bit of --

Q. Did thinking of that help keep you focused today?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, today it kept me focused. Even when I holed that putt, it felt like I was on the ascendency; it was in the back of my mind, just keep concentrating.

Q. Do you feel that having your short game in better shape than your long game is more important?
LEE WESTWOOD: Absolutely. If you can fall back on a good short game, it relieves all the pressure on your long game and also on your putting. The longest putt I've had to make today, the longest two -- I had a difficult putt on 9, and left it four feet short on 12. You know, other than those two, if I missed the green, I was chipping it stiff and walked up and tapping it in. That spreads to your whole game.

Q. Did you keep tabs on Ian the whole way
WESTWOOD: No. I knew if I holed the putt on 17 it would be a killer blow no matter what anybody else did.

Q. Would you have hit it the way?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it was basically, it was just to start it off on line and it was always going to reach. It was straight down the hill, so it was quick. And you know, six feet from the hole it lipped in. Alastair said halfway, it looked good.

Q. How far was it?
LEE WESTWOOD: 30 feet probably. 40 feet on 16, 30 feet on 17.

Q. How does it feel to win again in Britain?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, it's great. I think everybody out here comes out and plays golf tournaments to try and win -- or that's certainly what I've always done. It's been a long time since I've won in Britain, three years or so, four years.
I really wanted to stop the rut of getting into contention and not winning like I've done over the last three weeks, because I ought to be sitting here with more than one win in the last four weeks.
But these things happen in golf. Other people have played better when they needed to, but I've learned from the mistakes and the way I've gone about the last round in the last three tournaments and put it to good effect today.
You know, just done the right things at the right time.

Q. What things have you learned that helped you today?
LEE WESTWOOD: Just not having too much expectation and putting too much pressure on myself instead of going out and playing. I've sat around on Saturday nights in previous tournaments thinking "I've got to win this one." And this one, coming from two behind, I thought, well, if it happens, it happens. Go out and enjoy it and try to play the shots when I've needed to, and I pulled them off.

Q. You've done well since having Alastair McClean on the bag.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, very well. You see and you learn a lot about somebody when -- I don't have him for Tuesday morning or Tuesday afternoons when I'm on the range. I have him on Sunday afternoon when I need the right club at the right time. His record and who he's worked for and how successful they have been speaks for itself. I'm sure Monty will tell you, he put a lot of his success down to having the right man on the bag.

Q.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, about time.

Q. Have you decided on the sort of schedule you want to play?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I'd like to go over to the States and play ten events, 11 events. I'd like to win all of those and then come back and play quite a few in Europe and win all of those. (Laughter).
No, I don't think you'll see me playing, you know, 25 tournaments in the States. I'm at the age now where, you know, the kids are only going to be young ones and I want to see them doing all of the things they should and shouldn't be doing.
You know, I won't go and play a lot over there, but I will play the right tournaments at the right time and I'll play the other tournaments that will enable me to play those big tournaments well.

Q. Does it remind you of the year you had in '99?
LEE WESTWOOD: You don't know, there's a lot of big tournaments left. The Dunhill, I might pop up and win that one. I haven't looked at the Order of Merit in about six years. I might have a look tonight. (Laughing).

Q. You've picked up a lot of Ryder Cup points the past few weeks?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, it's a great start, fantastic. Three weeks of qualifying, I've finished sixth, sixth, first. It's another reason for -- it's another bonus for playing well at the right time. I wouldn't say I'm thinking about it. I'd forgotten it until you mentioned it just then. But it would be nice to qualify this time and not have the pressure of a pick.

Q. Is it a case of rekindling the appetite?
LEE WESTWOOD: I've always had the appetite. I wouldn't be sitting here having worked to get back to this position if I hadn't had the appetite. I'd just veer off and done corporate days and speeches somewhere.

Q. When you won for fun
LEE WESTWOOD: Won for fun? I did that today. That was fun.

Q. Won regularly then?
LEE WESTWOOD: Prolifically, yeah. But it's not as easy as I made it look. It's not. You know, if you -- sometimes I turn up to tournaments and you don't expect me to get into contention, you don't expect me to win, but it's not as easy at that. I was playing -- I was fourth in the world for a couple of weeks at that stage. That's pretty good going.
You know, there's a lot of strong players out here now. I've played with Phillip Archer, just to name one, you know, who we wouldn't have been talking about, this time last year, I look at him on TV and I think, he's a proper player, won't be long before he wins. And Marc Warren I played with him the last round at Gleneagles; he reminds a lot of Adam Scott and Tiger Woods, his technique and the way he hits the ball. I think he's got quite a future.
So you have people that you wouldn't have been talking about back in '98, '99. Not saying that the stroke wasn't there, but I think that The European Tour is as healthy at the moment as it's been in years.

Q. Getting into top ten, is that now one of the goals?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I've love to get back into the top 5. That's where I was before. I think I can be.

Q. How much better is your golf now than seven or eight years?
LEE WESTWOOD: It's very difficult to tell. When you're playing seven or eight years ago, it's very difficult to quantify how good you were. I won seven times in one year twice. If I don't do that now, does that mean I'm not as good a player as I was in '98 or 2000? It's impossible to measure it.

Q. What's the most satisfying thing about this win?
LEE WESTWOOD: What gave me the most satisfaction today was when I needed to play shots, and there were shots that a couple of years ago I would have been uncomfortable playing and I wouldn't have had the ability to play, I just reeled them off like I was on the range; the shot into 5, the 5-iron into 8, just knocking it down, almost a three-quarter swing; the wedge I hit into 15 was a bit lucky. I didn't hit it hard enough and it pitched out to the top of the ridge and was just in the fringe; those are the kind of shots I wouldn't have attempted in previous years. And now I just stand over them and go through the motions of how I am on the range. Ask Chubby, I was hitting little knock-down shots on the range, and went out and played them on the golf course, and that's under pressure.

Q. What wedding present have you got Poulter?
LEE WESTWOOD: I've sent it already. I can't tell you. I can't tell you. But you need a pump. (Laughter) No, no, he had -- he was very clever, actually. He had a charity that I could give donations to, so I've donated to a couple of the charities.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Lee, thanks very much. Congratulations once again. Great victory and well done.

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