Westwood's 2009 British Open Clubs

Lee Westwood was in a tough spot on the 18th green Sunday.

He was one shot behind Tom Watson when he drove the ball into a fairway bunker and played a shot to the front of the green, leaving him a long putt. Not expecting Watson to bogey the last hole, he figured he needed to make birdie and played an aggressive putt that went past the hole and led to a three-putt bogey. A par, as it turned out, would have put him in the playoff.

"It was a tricky two-putt. I thought I had to hole it, to be honest," he said. "I didn't see Tom bogeying the last since he's such an experienced player."

The Englishman’s career has undulated as dramatically as the dunes that line the Ayrshire shoreline, and yesterday his round mirrored in microcosm his 15 years as a professional. After nine holes he stood two shots clear of the field and perfectly placed to bring a happy end to Paul Lawrie’s status as the last domestic winner of the Claret Jug, at Carnoustie in 1999.

It was not to be, as a series of uncharacteristic errors from tee and fairway were punished heavily on the road home. Four dropped shots on the back nine, three of them in the final four holes, left him a single shot from joining the play-off between Tom Watson and Stewart Cink and ruing an opportunity squandered.

Westwood, who was trying to become the first Englishman to win the British since Nick Faldo in 1992, also bogeyed the 16th hole to fall out of a first-place tie with Watson.

"I've gone from frustration to sickness now," said Westwood, whose 1-under 71 left him at 1-under 279.

The key to playing well at Turnberry is to find the fairways, and through three rounds of the 2009 British Open, England's Lee Westwood has done a great job of that. Finding the short grass on nearly 76% of his drives has helped him hit almost 81% of the greens in regulation.

Here is a complete list of the clubs Westwood is using at Turnberry:
DRIVER: Ping G10 Driver(9°) with Aldila prototype XNV6 shaft 
FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping Rapture V2 (14°) with UST V2 76 X shaft
IRONS: Ping i10 (2-PW) with Ping JZ shafts 
WEDGES: Ping Tour W (54°, 58°) with Ping JZ shafts
PUTTER: Ping Redwood Anser
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x