Golf:If Lee Westwood is going to win his first major at the 50th attempt at this week's US Open he will do so at his favourite golf course. Westwood returns to Pebble Beach 10 years after falling in love with the revered layout and in perfect shape to convert numerous major near-misses into a much anticipated victory.
The world number three tied for fifth place, alongside Padraig Harrington, in 2000 when the US Open last visited Pebble Beach as Tiger Woods made majors history with a 15-stroke winning margin.
Now 37, European number one Westwood has finished in the top three of each of the last three majors. He arrived at the venue from Memphis, where he landed his first victory on American soil in 12 years on Sunday at the St Jude Classic.
He had also made a flying visit to Pebble Beach for two days’ of practice before heading to Memphis and he said he could not be happier to return. Westwood said: “It’s probably my favourite golf course in the world so I’m obviously delighted to be back and very excited about the week coming up.
“I’ve played here in the US Open in 2000, I played okay. I was okay for a couple practice rounds before Memphis last week, so I’ve had a good look at the golf course. It was nice to come and play well. There was pretty much nobody else here. So I’m looking forward to going out there today . . . and I look forward to getting going on Thursday.”
With a second place behind Phil Mickelson at this year’s Masters continuing his strong showings at recent majors, Westwood has shown why he is rated so highly as a contender in the biggest championships, although he said the highest expectations came from within.
“The most pressure comes from me and the expectations I have for what I want to do in the game of golf,” he told reporters, before joking: “I hate to tell you this but I don’t really pay much attention to what you lot write and think.
“So the main challenge is fulfilling my own expectations and especially over the last couple of years I’ve been putting myself in a position to win a major and feel like I ought to be expected to win a major now. So the greatest pressure comes from me, not from anybody else.”
Westwood has also altered the way he is preparing for majors, repeating his decision to visit Augusta National ahead of the Masters with an advanced look at Pebble Beach, where he played 45 holes in a 36-hour period.
“There was only me here,” the Englishman said. “I played 18 holes Sunday morning, nine holes in the afternoon, then 18 holes Monday morning and went to Memphis in the afternoon.
“I don’t recall going to a US Open venue and practising before anybody’s really got here, so it’s just something that I decided to do this year. I did it for the Masters and it was successful there. So I figured I better do it for the US Open as well.
“I’ll probably do it for The Open Championship at St Andrews, it will be a little bit easier there. But I can’t quite see away of doing it for (the US PGA at) Whistling Straits. But hopefully it will go well.”