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THE 3 IRISH OPEN

May 15, 2009

Lee Westwood

BALTRAY, IRELAND

RODDY WILLIAMS: Thanks very much for joining us and currently a share of the lead. Nice morning's work out there.
LEE WESTWOOD: It was good. I enjoyed it. It was very pleasant.
No, it was pretty miserable when we started, and you know, the rain was coming down pretty badly, and windy. Hung in there over the first few holes, and this course, gives you a chance playing your way around and I scored the last ten holes and I managed to do that all right and give myself a chance at the weekend hopefully.
RODDY WILLIAMS: How were conditions out there?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I had 203 yards on the 11th, and stepped up to the tee and hit 2-iron and it came up short. It was pretty tricky.
You know, it looks like the back end of the draw, they are playing the better side, but there's probably some good scoring from our side and I think 10-under is going to be in touching distance from tomorrow, so no complaints.

Q. Does a 66 feel really, really good?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, it feels good, especially 1-over through eight, and 7-under the last ten holes, and probably the three I didn't birdie, I left one short in the middle and the other two hanging on the edge. So it was pretty good, and a couple of nice one-putts in there, so I hit it close mainly.
I've been playing all right. Played well at the Masters and played great in Houston, I had a chance. Korea, just struggled with the conditions there and the speed of the greens.
I had a couple of weeks off. I haven't played that much recently. Could easily have won in Australia at the Johnnie Walker. I'm pretty pleased with my form and always working on things, but I know if all things come together, then I've got a chance.

Q. And you're thinking about not going last week, that was sort of long-term scheduling, planning?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I've travelled a lot this year. I had been to Korea and it would have been a week off and then straight out to TPC. I would have wanted to go Sunday, really, and I couldn't face getting on a plane for another ten hours for a tournament that doesn't mean that much to me anymore.
It used to feel like the fifth-biggest tournament in the world when it was played a couple of weeks before the Masters and it was a nice build-up to Augusta. It was a great build-up to Augusta, in fact. And now there are just bigger tournaments. The World Golf Championships have gone in front of it, and it's obviously a big tournament if you're a member of the PGA Tour. It's big for those guys over there, but I'm not a member over there, I'm not American. I'm a European, and other tournaments hold bigger precedence for me.
Next week is obviously our biggest tournament on our tour, our equivalent of The Players, and I feel like going last week would have messed my preparation up for the BMW PGA Championship; and this one, I would like to win this week. Irish Open is a very big event. Sometimes you just can't play all the events.

Q. Would that mean that you would regard the Americans sort of pushing THE PLAYERS Championship as the fifth major as American hype rather than reality?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, if you feel that way. Strange, the more they try to push it, the less it seems to be the fifth-biggest tournament. I don't know what it is. I felt the course played better when it was played in March, and it was a bigger tournament. I played last year and it didn't do it for me, so I didn't go back.

Q. What do you think has a chance of being the so-called fifth major?
LEE WESTWOOD: I don't think any tournament has that chance. There are four majors and everything else.

Q. If it did, shouldn't it be not in America, but actually probably in the Far East somewhere?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, you would think so. Yeah, you would think that if there was to be another major, it would be in Australia or something like that, like in tennis where they spread it around, Australian, French Open, Wimbledon and American. So that seems to me to make more sense. You're right, if they do have a fifth major, it should be somewhere else than America.

Q. Say next week, the BMW PGA, this week is a big week, Irish Open, proper title, etc., etc., and next week is a bigger event than the TPC.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I'm a European and I play on this Tour.

Q. Can you, therefore, empathise, sympathise with those Europeans who are choosing not to return to play next week?
LEE WESTWOOD: Their priorities, they are members of the PGA Tour. You can only plan your schedule around what you think and what I think and what I feel and what means the most to me. I can't advise somebody else.

Q. But do you not feel that in these times of financial constraint that it would be particularly important to fly the flag for Europe at Wentworth next week, all players?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, but you can't play everywhere, every week. You know it would be nice to see that every European that's ranked high enough to play in the BMW PGA Championship play, but they may have other priorities.

Q. Have you considered a career as a diplomat?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, I've been doing this a long time sitting in front of you. I know what to say and what not to say. (Laughter).

Q. Returning to the Irish Open then, if you had a choice, would you like sunshine and blue skies for the next 48 hours, which is extremely unlikely, or would you prefer it to be pretty much as it is?
LEE WESTWOOD: As long as the weather is consistent, it doesn't really bother me what it does. I don't think it would be great for the tournament if it was flat-calm. I think the golf course needs a little bit of wind. It's an old, traditional-style links course and most of them do. If it doesn't blow at St. Andrews, with the technology as it is now, you have a lot of birdie chances.
So, you know, I think if there's a nice 20-mile-an-hour wind blowing around here, and blue skies for the next two days, we would all be happy, wouldn't we. I'm living in dream world.

Q. What would you see being the winning score if it is a bit of wind?
LEE WESTWOOD: I have no idea. I think the scoring has been remarkably good over the first couple of days considering the conditions. 10-under is certainly better than what I would have taken for two rounds.

Q. Did you see Padraig as a golfer who was really struggling, or was it different today?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, not really. Padraig is a fantastic scorer. The reason he's won major championships is he's because questionably or arguably the best around the greens in the world. Him and Tiger and Phil, I would stick him in that category with those two players. He has an unbelievable short game.
Everybody has strengths. I suppose if you ask Padraig what he's been working on recently, it sounds like his swing, so he thinks that his long game is the part of his game that's been lacking and I think from everybody looking outside, his long game, is I don't want to say the weakest part of his game, but certainly not up to the standard of his short game and his putting, which is definitely because his short game is so good.
Occasionally if he struggles, then he's able to churn out a score like he did today, what did he shoot, 4-under, not hitting it great, but his short game and putting is unbelievable. You have nothing for admiration for him when you look at some of the shots he plays.

Q. And what's your preparation for U.S. Open now, obviously after what happened last year, that's got to be top priority?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, that's another reason why I didn't play last week. I wanted to be nice and settled and rested and competitive going into the U.S. Open.

Q. How sort of say, Padraig, if you take Padraig as being the kind of short game that you would love to have, how short now is your short game of his short game?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, if he's a 10, I'm a 4. And he's probably a 10.

Q. Are you as good as you were a year ago?
LEE WESTWOOD: Probably not quite as good as a year ago but I still make some nice chips out there. I don't get it up-and-down as often as I would like, and my putting was great today. Been working hard on my putting. Been working hard on my short game. Just haven't needed it much over the first couple of day the.

Q. For the layman, is a feel -- obviously you know recall of the techniques and technicalities, is it just a feel thing that isn't quite there?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, practice and have quite a bit to work on, just a case of keep practicing and getting a bit better.

Q. And then believing it, trusting it?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I played some nice chips over the first couple of days.

Q. You seemed at the U.S. Open last year to have, if Padraig is a 10, you were a 7 or an 8?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, 7. Such a long time ago.

Q. You're being very hard on yourself?
LEE WESTWOOD: I'm not being hard on myself. I'm being realistic. I'm saying that's how much practice and work I've got to do on my short game. I see in front of me, how really good the top players in the world are around the greens.

Q. Talking about the U.S. Open, you were so close last year does that give you more incentive to be ready and prepared for it?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, to come as close as that, within touching distance, really, and I've got a real good chance of winning, then it gives you a lot of confidence and incentive to keep on working and gives you the belief that you can do it.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Lee, thank you very much, indeed. Well played and good luck on the weekend.

End of FastScripts

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