Sadness at the scaling down of Lee Westwood’s career contrasts with anticipation of the contribution he may make to golf away from the greens. He has now pinpointed the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits as the juncture at which he would like to captain Europe.
Westwood probably has not received the plaudits he is due for a career which has returned more than 40 professional wins, a combined 22 weeks as the top ranked player in the world and routine Ryder Cup brilliance. Golfers with considerably less talent than Westwood have claimed major championships; it is that inability to capture one of his sport’s big four that unfortunately shapes the narrative around the Englishman all too often.
Westwood can do little about that. Now 42 and based back in the United Kingdom – linked to the break-up of his marriage – he can map out a positive future. “I would like to go on a little bit longer,” Westwood says. “Two or three years, then think about the Ryder Cup captaincy. If I put my name in for the captaincy in four years’ time then I can think about the seniors after that.”
Westwood’s status is such that he can in effect be handed that leading role at the point of his choosing. With 21 Ryder Cup points, he is only four adrift of Nick Faldo’s all-time European record for the event.
What is at the behest of others is selection for this year's team, who will take on the United States at Hazeltine at the end of September. Darren Clarke, the captain, has enjoyed a lengthy alliance with Westwood. Clarke said recently that his wildcard choices could "cost him friendships", a matter Westwood readily swats aside.
“I can put Darren’s mind at rest on that front,” Westwood explains. “The Ryder Cup is an event you want to be going into playing well.
“I’ve gone into it playing poorly and I’ve had picks when I’ve been playing well and justified the pick. The last thing you want is to get a pick and not justify it. I’d say to Darren – even before contemplating picking me – not to pick me if I wasn’t playing well. It would be very difficult to turn down a pick but it wouldn’t get to that stage with me if I didn’t think I could justify it. I’d tell Darren beforehand.
“Past record only counts if you’re playing well. You don’t want to be playing if you’re struggling, there would be too much pressure. It’s a goal for this year, hopefully to get some form together and qualify for the team.
“I am playing a lot of golf after the Irish Open in May, only one or two good weeks and you’re right in there. If not, I’m happy to go along and get some captaincy experience as vice-captain. If you’ve played in nine Ryder Cups you’ve got the respect of the players and feel like you can help. I have played under nine different captains, so I’ve experienced all there is to experience in that regard.”
Westwood is pragmatic regarding whether or not his earlier, full-time status on the PGA Tour in combination with a Florida home was well-timed. “I probably should have done it earlier but I might not have got to world No1,” he says. “I might not have played in so many Ryder Cups, so you can’t second guess it. I don’t think I have done too many things wrong.”
His season restarts from Thursday at the Shell Houston Open, before a return to Augusta National. Until an appearance at last week's WGC Match Play Championship, he had been a lengthy tournament absentee. The break has reignited his competitive hunger.
“Six weeks off will do that for you,” Westwood says. “Had my hunger gone? It is difficult to keep it all the time and sustain it. I’m nearly 43 now.
“You know it’s not a gimme that you’re going to be going to Augusta for years, so you always treat it like it’s your last and enjoy it accordingly. I felt like that even when I was young and winning events.”
And yet, his major aspiration can still be fulfilled. After all Clarke won the Open Championship aged 42 and Jack Nicklaus donned a Green Jacket at 46. Sometimes fate plays a stronger card than the state of a player's game.
“There’s life in the old dog yet,” says Westwood with a smile. “I have not played a lot recently but I’m still 66 in the world and in most of the big events coming up, so I must be doing something right.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot less free time now and have a lot more going on. There are a lot more demands stopping me practising. That would be the most difficult thing because I still feel like the game comes pretty easily.”
Inspiration may come from one of Westwood’s other sporting passions. His horse, Ballyalton, won this month at the Cheltenham Festival, where the golfer was a particularly anxious on-course onlooker.
“He is running again the week of Grand National at Aintree [the same week as the Masters] so that could be a good double,” he says. “I was so nervous when he was coming round that final bend, it was comparable with 1st tee at a Ryder Cup. I started crying, which is something I never do.
“That was quite a great training achievement because he had been injured for two years; it looked at one point like we might have to retire him, so it was some story.”
For now, Westwood seems content to play down the prospects of him penning some more of his own. It is an indicator of his deserved reputation and standing that his captaincy dream is way more tangible than simple aspiration. Perhaps that will prove golf’s best way of repaying Westwood’s contribution.
(Guardian service)
