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Westwood inherits unwanted tag

Author: John Harris
Date: 26/11/2009
Golf betting

Lee Westwood pocketed a cool £1.5million for his exploits in Dubai over the weekend.

The Englishman won the Dubai World Championship to ensure he finished the season as Europe's number one ranked golfer.

But the affable 36-year-old from Worksop also inherited a title which is dreaded among professional golfers.

Westwood is now surely regarded as the best player never to have won a Major championship.

His 32nd worldwide tournament victory moved him up to a joint-career high fourth in the world rankings, but Westwood will not be content.

He realises that to be considered a true great of the game he must finally get his hands on one of its four main prizes.

World number one Tiger Woods has 14 Major wins to his name and second-placed Phil Mickelson a creditable three.

The best Westwood can offer is a third-place finish at this year's Open Championship, the same at the US Open and US PGA, plus a tie for sixth spot at the Masters.

Westwood has twice proved what a great champion he is when it comes to the bread and butter of the European Tour, but he has yet to fully shine on the greatest stage.

By bouncing back from a mid-career slump which saw him plummet out of the world's top 250 ranked players just a handful of years ago, he has displayed the heart and desire needed to win a Major.

Westwood won the European Tour's Order of Merit in 2000 only to spend the next six years in the golfing wilderness before gradually clawing his way back to the top of the tree.

A new-found fitness regime and unwavering focus on the weaker areas of his game - specifically his play on and around the greens - has bore fruit and the player himself certainly believes he is ready to take the next step.

"Obviously I had a high point in 2000 but back then I was young and didn't really know what it was all about, I'd just really experienced the highs," he explained after winning by a devastating six shots under the most intense pressure in Dubai.

"I went through a bit of a low which was well documented and didn't play so well, dropping out of the top 250 in the world rankings and it's been a long way back.

"I'm much more mature now and I've got a more rounded game.

"There's less flaws, there's less weaknesses. I've been through a lot."

Can Lee Westwood win the first Major of next season at the Masters? - Latest Golf Betting

Westwood is ready for a place at golf's top table but sportsbook favourite Woods, Mickelson and co will certainly not make it easy for him in 2010.

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