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

Westwood’s Bag at the 2011 U.S. Open

Lee Westwood has for many years been one of Europe’s finest golfers and is probably, like Sergio Garcia, most famous for his Ryder Cup heroics rather than his individual success. Lee began to play golf aged 13 which is quiet late the current generation of professional golfers. With a half set bought by grandparents his father John took up the game at same time to give his son encouragement. As an amateur he won the British Youth Championship in 1993 and turned professional the same year. He is not only a talented golfer having played rugby, soccer and cricket to a high standard at school. He is one of the few golfers who have won tournaments on every continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He won his first professional tournament - the Volvo Scandinavian Masters in 1996 and has since won another 18 times on the European Tour. The 2000 season on the European Tour was his most successful season. 

Colin Montgomerie believes it is now or never for Lee Westwood if he is to win a major championship.

Europe’s last Ryder Cup captain, five times a runner-up in the majors but never a winner, looked ahead to the start of the US Open at Congressional today and said: ‘I do think these next eight majors leading up to Lee’s 40th birthday are critical.

‘If he could just get over the line I could see him winning three or four but he has to get over the line quickly or the danger is, like myself, it will not happen. People often compare Lee to myself and I know better than anyone how much harder it gets.’

Westwood took his range from as far as the greens but could not reproduce the putting display of Saturday. His birdie putt at the second stopped short and seemed to upset his rhythm. A bogey at the par-five sixth drained his momentum and from there he cut a marginal figure.

What’s in his Bag?

DRIVER: Ping G10 Driver(9.0°) with a Aldila PGA Tour Only Prototype XNV6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping i15 (14°) with a UST Mamaya V2 76X shaft, Rapture V2 (19°) with Aldila NV75 Xshaft
IRONS: Ping i10 (3-PW) with Ping JZ stiff shafts
WEDGES: Ping Tour-W (54°, 58°) with Ping JZ stiff shafts
PUTTER: Ping Anser 0
BALL: Titleist Pro V1x