The days of wondering whether it was worth picking up a golf club have long since been banished from Lee Westwood's mind. Although he topped the European Tour money list in 2000 - a year that included six wins worldwide - the hard times were to follow and, for just over two years, he endured a slump so wretched he wondered if he'd ever win again. Or, indeed, if he should even continue playing.

And, of course, he did continue. Yesterday Westwood, long since rejuvenated, secured his best finish in a British Open - his closing round 67 for six-under-par propelling him to fourth place - and confessed he no longer thinks about the bad, old days. "I've stopped talking about it and thinking about it," he insisted. For him, the future is bright.

Prior to this, Westwood's best finish in the British Open was tied-10th - coincidentally also here at Troon, in 1997 - and this performance came after missing the cut in the championship for the past two years. This time, the Englishman got as close to a major as he has in his career.

How close do you think you are now to winning a major? he was asked. "I know my game is good enough to win one," he responded, "it's just about getting in there and giving myself the opportunity . . . and it's always nice to do it on the biggest stage. Five years ago I was thinking I needed to take a step up to become a major contender, but then I realised there is no next level. It's just doing the right things here and there and fine-tuning your game, holing a few putts at the right time."

Already assured of a place on the European team for the Ryder Cup match in Detroit in September, Westwood has focused on the next major, the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, next month.

"I believe it is the third links test of the year in the majors and it gets breezy there. I'll be trying to get up the top of the leaderboard there again. There's no reason why I can't."

Westwood has decided not to play in this week's Irish Open and, instead, will play the Scandinavian Masters as his next tune-up before preparing for the US PGA.

Certainly, his finish as leading European at Royal Troon confirmed his game is in good order.

"You always hope that what you're doing, all the hard work, is going to pay off," he said. In fact, he could rue his failure to conquer the opening stretch of holes in his bid to claim a first major.

On Thursday, he opened his championship with a double bogey on the first (a hole he again bogeyed in the second round) and, yesterday, he bogeyed two of his first five holes, before birdieing six of the remaining 13 holes. It was sufficient to propel Westwood up to fourth, and leave nobody in any doubt the days of despair have been well and truly left behind.