After Lee's emphatic 61 on Saturday, he just had to win.....
FROM MEL WEBB IN HAMBURG
LESS than two days before he had been desperate, now he was desperately relieved. Lee Westwood turned helpless frustration into unalloyed delight yesterday as he celebrated the exorcism of a short term but acute problem with his putting to win the Deutsche Bank SAP Open with a closing round 66 and a total of 265, 23 under par, the best winning total for a European Tour event this season.
Westwood, 25, won 183,340 at Gut Kaden to edge his worldwide earnings in the past seven months to over 1Million, but he had to scrap every inch of the way to win by a stroke from his good friend and stable mate, Darren Clarke, whose challenge meant that Westwood had to hole a 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to achieve his moment of moments.
Westwood stuck to a game plan over the first 9 that revolved around positive, aggressive golfand was prospering by it, four birdies putting him 3 ahead at the turn.
Westwood had put himself in to the thick of it by shooting a remarkabe 11-under par 61, a round that put him within 1 shot of Darren Clarke. He started the round in turmoil induced by a spell of putting frailty that had left him grinding his teeth in impotent rage, but finished it in high triumphed.
It was brilliant golf that he produced on that day and he was determined that, as he had been given hope by his aggression, , so he would either live or die by it. For some, all-out attack is a high risk occupation; not Westwood. He is less impressive on the rare occasion that he tries to defend a position and was again here.
The only time he backed off was on the par-three 16th and almost cost him dear. He was three strokes ahead and, for the first time, a note of uncertainty crept in to his game when, instead of firing at the pin, he went for safety in the heart of the green. the tactic failed as he pulled his 6-iron left, chipped on to five feet and missed the putt for par.
Seconds later Clarke birdied the same hole for his third birdie in a row. In the space of less than two minutes, Westwoods lead had been cut from three strokes to one. A less confident individual than Westwood might have folded at that point; the calculation did not even enter his mind.
Bold and cool he is, he cannot have helped but be affected by the situation as he walked on to the final tee. With Clarke breathing down his neck, a play-off was looming if Westwood had a par on the 18th, the most difficult hole on the course, and Clarke birdied it.
By now Westwood had shaken himself out of defensive mode. He cannot, though, have expected too much when his second flew 20 feet past the hole. Clarke had driven on the same hole and was in a good position; the endgame was on with a vengence.
As recently as the 2nd hole on the third round, Westwood would not have been certain whether he could get down in three. This time he did not even hesitate as he stepped up, took a look, settled, put the smoothest of strokes on the ball and watched with arm raised aloft like a Roman Gladiatior as the ball roled, and roled - and dropped. He was there; over the line. Now he really could not be beaten
There was sting in the tail of the tournament, even if its venom had been drawn by Westwoods final blow. Clarke had to hole his second shot to put himself in to a play-off and failed, but he still went on to sink a 35-foot putt for a closing birdie of his own. He had not failed - it was no disgrace to be beaten on this day. His friend had become, briefly, his enemy. Now the friendship could start again. It was a moment to savour.
