This report was written after Lee's exciting victory over Greg Norman. He rates it as the most satisfying win of his career so far...
By Patricia Davies for the Times, reporting from Melbourne
LEE WESTWOOD wants to be the world's No 1 golfer one day and he showed yesterday that it is no idle dream by outlasting Greg Norman, the present No 1, to win the Australian Open at the Metropolitan Club in Melbourne. When Norman, who was the defending champion, three-putted at the fourth extra hole of an enthralling tussle, he handed victory to the 24 year old from Worksop.
It was a head-to-head battle all day, with the crowd, so keen to see Norman win the title for the third successive year, impressed to see the personable Pom's persistence. Westwood, who played the last 9 holes in one under par after a patchy outward half, picked up two shots in the last two holes when Norman, out of rhythm and sorts all week, tangled with the trees at the 17th to run up a bogey 5 and three-putted the 18th for another bogey.
During a play-off so tense that Laurae Coltart, the fiancee of Westwood, could hardly contain herself, Norman faltered again at the treacherous 18th, three-putting for anothe bogey.
In the final round, Norman had returned a 73 and Westwood a 72 for a total 274, 14 under par, one shot ahead of Craig Parry, the stocky Australian, who charged in to the picture with a 65. Andrew Coltart, Lee Westwood's future brother in law, finished 6th on 280, a St Andrew's Day result less satisfactory than it might have been, because he dropped two shots over the last 3 holes.
Norman denied that what happened in the open here in 1979 had crossed his mind. Then 24, he three-putted the last to lose by a shot to Jack Newton, but won the first of his five home Opens the following year. Now 42, Norman said that he did not think winning becomes any easier the older you get. "It's still nerve-racking, you're still trying to perform," he said.
And, of course, there are the youngsters hungry for success, ready to devour even the Great White Shark should he show any signs of weakness. Norman was impressed with Westwood, the Europe No 3, who has had a phenomenal run of three victories, a second and a 21st place in the last 5 weeks.
"I was impressed with Lee when I played with him at the Open championship at Troon this year," Norman said. "He's strong, he hits a lot of good shots when he needs to and he goes at the ball very aggressively. He has the capacity and capabilities and the qualities to be in the top 10 in the world."
On a hot, dusty day when the duel in the sun between the world No 1 and a would-be No 1 fizzled rather than fizzed, it was Westwood's stickability that impressed most. Both plyers misfired, struggling to find a rhythm and hit a fairway in a breeze that made judgment awkward.
The first nine holes were particularly messy. "The way I played the front nine was pretty bad and, if anything, I let it go there," was Norman's assessment.
On Saturday, Norman had tried to strangle the championship with an opening charge of four birdies and an eagle in the first 6 holes. Only Westwood was there with him at the end of 56 holes, having hauled himself back in to contention as Norman trod water - almost literraly for a torrential downpour caused play to be suspended briefly. Yesterday, they both drove badly at the 1st, but Norman saved par and Westwood bogeyed, to drop 2 behind.
The Englishman drove in to a bunker at the 5th and failed to get out of the sand with his second shot. "He's gone," people muttered, while Laurae Coltart held her head. However, her man rescued his five, a bogey, while Norman wound up with a double-bogey 6 and even Laurae had to laugh when a youth described the two players as 'rabbits'. "I've never heard Lee called that before," she said.
Norman birdied the three par fives on the front nine, but still went out in 38, one over. Westwood, a;so out in 38, lost ground when Norman had a birdie 2 at the 11th, but the real drama was yet to come.
