Lee Westwood three shots clear at Nordea Masters

Posted on June 7, 2012 by adminsports

Westwood targets Swedish hat-trick after moving three shots clear at Nordea Masters

UPDATED:

18:39 GMT, 7 June 2012

Lee Westwood showed why Sweden is a
happy hunting ground for him as he carded a 64 to move three shots clear
of the field at the Nordea Masters in Stockholm.

Westwood followed up his first round
score of 68 by registering eight birdies to move to 12 under par ahead
of a chasing pack of three that contained Scotland's Lloyd Saltman.

In the swing: Lee Westwood enjoys his trips to Sweden

The Nordea Masters provided Westwood with his first European Tour victory in 1996 and he also won the event in 2000.

The Worksop golfer, currently ranked third in the world, was delighted to top the summit after day two.

'I've always enjoyed coming to Sweden, obviously winning here for the first time in 1996 gave me an affinity,' he told Europeantour.com.

'And then I won again in 2000 when I won the money list so I've had a lot of success in Sweden and it's somewhere I enjoy coming to.

'I played nicely yesterday but today I played a little bit better.

'I'm getting to know the course a little bit better every day and it was there for the taking this morning. There was not a lot of wind and the greens were pretty pure.

Great Scot: Lloyd Saltman carded a 64

'I'm putting the ball well and rolling it nicely on the greens which gives you confidence. I hit it pretty close so I gave myself a lot of chances.'

Saltman, ranked 512 in the world, also carded a 64, the highlight of which was an albatross on the par five 12th that came after he struck a sweet three iron which rolled in from some 237 yards.

'I had a great number,' he said. 'I started walking then heard a little roar and knew it was in, so that was nice.'

Saltman was joined by local favourite Peter Hanson and Spain's Carlos Del Moral at nine under.

Hanson had a double bogey at the 11th but recovered with three birdies in his next four holes.

'I didn't strike the ball as well as I would have hoped and 68 was a good result,' said 2008 champion Hanson.

A score of 72 meant overnight leader Magnus Carlsson was five shots off the lead along with one-time clubhouse leader Richard Bland.

Sergio Garcia threatened briefly, but he found water at the par five 13th and made 69 to finish the six under in total.

Magnus Carlsson leads Nordea Masters after first round

Posted on June 6, 2012 by adminsports

Home boy Carlsson outshines Westwood and Hanson to take lead at Nordea Masters

UPDATED:

18:15 GMT, 6 June 2012

Magnus Carlsson produced a stunning round of 65 to open up a two-shot lead on day one of the Nordea Masters in Stockholm.

The 31-year-old sank eight birdies to go round the course in seven under, although his mood was dampened slightly by a bogey on the last hole.

Carlsson was one of four Swedes on the leaderboard at Bro Hof as the local favourites made the most of home advantage.

Swede dreams: Lee Westwood tees off on the 16th hole at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Stockholm

Peter Hanson was in a group of four players tied for second on five under, with five birdies sitting alongside a single bogey on his card.

Nordea Masters leaderboard

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England's Richard Bland, the early
clubhouse leader, also completed his round in 67, mixing eight birdies
with a bogey and a double bogey on the par-five 13th.

'To shoot five under round this course at anytime is good,' said Bland, ranked 661 in the world, on www.europeantour.com. 'I had a bit of an up and down start but I kicked it into gear around the turn which made the day really.

Leader: Magnus Carlsson of Sweden

'I played the front nine, which was my back nine, pretty solidly, so the game's in pretty good shape.'

Bland's compatriot Matthew Baldwin also put on a solid display of six birdies and a bogey to finish the day five under, along with Spain's Ignacio Garrido.

World No 3 Lee Westwood led a group of eight players on four under, alongside Swedish pair Michael Jonzon and Robin Wingardh.

The Worksop golfer made a flying start with birdies at the first, second and fifth, adding another shot on the par-three 11th.

He then bogeyed the 14th but sank another birdie on the final hole to shot a four-under 68.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia carded a round
of 69, one better than England's Ross Fisher who signed for a two-under
70 with birdies at the first and 13th.

Fisher
missed out on the Wales Open title last weekend after being hit with a
one-stroke penalty and 6,000 fine for slow play when only one off the
lead with four holes to play.

Defending champion Alex Noren was in the same starting group as Westwood but had to settle for a two-over 74.

The only way over The 17th hole at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club has an island green

Lee Westwood handed OBE at Buckingham Palace by the Queen

Posted on February 16, 2012 by adminsports

Westwood wants to be crowned King of the Masters after Queen hands him OBE

Lee Westwood hopes receiving an OBE from the Queen will help spur him on to win his first major tournament this year.

The 38-year-old from Worksop, who was world No 1 for a five-week spell last year, said he had his eyes set on The Masters in April.

Westwood was at Buckingham Palace on Thursday to receive the honour which was awarded to him in the New Year Honours List.

Royal reception: Lee Westwood is handed his OBE gong by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace on Thursday

'Hopefully I'll win it,' he said of his Green Jacket aspirations.

'I think this year could be it. I'm certainly playing well enough and getting my game together.

Major achievement: Westwood wants to win his first golf major this year

'I've been working hard and putting in a lot of preparation, so hopefully all that will click into place.'

Westwood, who has recently returned from three weeks of tournaments in the Middle East and is about to travel to the US, said: 'The Queen spoke to me about travelling, where I've been recently and where I'm going.

Family man: Westwood celebrates his honour with his parents, wife and children outside Buckingham Palace

'I'm sure I don't do as much travelling as she does though.

'I've played golf with Prince Andrew before, so perhaps the Queen has an interest – I would have preferred to speak to her about horseracing though, but I didn't have the chance.'

Man on a mission: Westwood hopes to be in contention of winning The Masters in April

He said of the honour: 'I can't quite believe it.

'You don't imagine, when you start playing the sport you love, that you will end up receiving an award for it. It's amazing really.'

Rafael Cabrera-Bello wins Dubai Desert Classic

Posted on February 12, 2012 by adminsports

Westwood woe as Cabrera-Bello takes Dubai Desert Classic by one shot

Lee Westwood was left the nearly man in Dubai again as Rafael Cabrera-Bello, ranked 116 places below him, pulled off another European Tour shock.

Two weeks after England's Robert Rock beat Tiger Woods and the world's top four in Abu Dhabi the 27-year-old Canary Islander became the Omega Desert Classic champion with a bogey-free closing 68 at the Emirates Club.

Third-round leader Westwood finished runner-up in the event for the third time after failing to birdie any of the last five holes.

Big prize: Rafael Cabrera-Bello shows off the massive trophy

Dubai Desert Classic

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He does have the small consolation, however, of taking the world No 2 spot back off fifth-placed Rory McIlroy – by 0.004 ranking points.

Even at the long 18th a play-off looked likely, but off a fine drive the Worksop golfer went left of the green, chipped nearly 25 feet past the flag and missed the putt.

Scot Stephen Gallacher could still deny Cabrera-Bello as a result, but after laying up from the rough he missed his 12-foot birdie attempt.

Not enough: Lee Westwood finished tied second with Stephen Gallacher (below)

Great Scot: Stephen Gallacher

That made the 37-year-old joint second with Westwood and means he still has only one victory on the circuit in 379 starts going back almost two decades.

Cabrera-Bello became the third Spanish winner of the title in a row after Miguel Angel Jimenez and Alvaro Quiros – Jimenez beat Westwood in a play-off – and he had to wait to see if it was good enough to put him into the 64-man Accenture World Match Play Championship in Arizona the week after next.

It was his second Tour win, the first coming with a record-equalling closing round of 60 in the Austrian Open three years ago.

Centre of attention: But Rory McIlroy could not mount a Sunday challenge

'It's an unbelievable feeling and it's been a really spectacular week for me,' Cabrera-Bello said, remembering that he began it with nine birdies in 11 holes.

'With so many big, big names I felt really proud of myself. I wanted to fight, I stayed calm, I did everything that I've read we should do in these type of situations.

'I had ups and downs of course, but overall I think I played great.

'This was the quality jump I was looking for in my game and it's offered me the opportunity to play with the world's best players.'

Rory McIlroy pays penalty in Abu Dhabi

Posted on January 27, 2012 by adminsports

Penalty costs McIlroy as Olesen leads in Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy lost the lead as he incurred a careless two-stroke penalty at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Joint top overnight with Swede Robert Karlsson, the US Open champion had come back from a shaky start with three birdies when his rules blunder came on the 456-yard ninth.

Just off the green in two, McIlroy made the mistake of brushing away sand that was not on the putting surface and the penalty was imposed after a referee had been called.

Paying the penalty: Rory McIlroy on the second tee

The 22-year-old world No 3 also had a double bogey on the third and did well to avoid another on the 11th, but six birdies kept him in the hunt.

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/01/27/article-0-117B8AA1000005DC-18_468x291.jpg” width=”468″ height=”291″ alt=”In the swing: Thorbjorn Olesen leads in Abu Dhabi” class=”blkBorder” />

In the swing: Thorbjorn Olesen leads in Abu Dhabi

Westwood was in grave danger of crashing out as well after five bogeys in his first 12 holes, but came back with a hat-trick of birdies.

Before going off for treatment the Worksop golfer said: 'I've had it for about a month, but this is the first time I've played three days in a row since.

'The pain goes down into my elbow and it feels like somebody is driving a needle in there.'

Asked if there was any possibility of him withdrawing during the round he added: 'If I'd hit it in the long rough I might have had to think about it, but hopefully I'll be ok tomorrow.'

As the day's play drew towards its close Olesen, three times a runner-up in his rookie season last year, was a stroke in front of McIlroy's compatriot Gareth Maybin, who had yet to record a bogey.

Lee Westwood sees his lead slip to four shots at Thailand Golf Championship

Posted on December 17, 2011 by adminsports

Westwood sees his lead slip to four shots as Schwartzel cranks up the pressure in Thailand

Lee Westwood saw his huge advantage in the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship reduced to four shots following the third round on Saturday, with South African Charl Schwartzel leading the chasing pack with a second successive 66.

Westwood had boasted an 11-stroke lead at the start of the day but he could not continue his stunning form as he carded a disappointing one-over-par 73 at the Amata Spring Country Club to slip back to 19 under for the tournament.

That allowed Schwartzel to significantly close on the Englishman after he recorded another round of 66.

Keep calm and carry on: Lee Westwood takes a four shot lead into the final round of the Thailand Golf Championship

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Westwood had made the first 60 of his career on day one and then followed it up with a similarly impressive 64 yesterday, but the Worksop golfer found it much tougher going today.

After not dropping a single shot in the opening two rounds, he suffered a bogey on the par-five second. He also bogeyed the sixth but birdies at the fourth, 11th and 15th saw Westwood heading for another sub-par round.

However, the 38-year-old then dropped further shots at both the 16th and 17th before closing with a par.

While Westwood, whose round was the worst of the 17 leading players, struggled to replicate his earlier success, Schwartzel took up the charge in stunning fashion.

This year’s Masters winner downed four successive birdies from the second hole and then added three more on the back nine.

It might have been an even better day for the South African but he bogeyed the par-four 18th – his only dropped shot of the round.

Focused: Charl Schwartzel is closing in on Westwood

Three shots behind Schwartzel in third place on the leaderboard was American Michael Thompson after his 69, with Dutchman Guido Van der Valk two shots further back on 10 under.

England’s Simon Dyson is fifth on nine under while former Asian Tour number one Jyoti Randhawa of India is sixth on eight under following his round of 65.

Westwood said: “(I had) a few bad breaks…if you had offered me a four-shot lead on Thursday morning I would have taken it.

“After a 60 and 64, you’re probably going to be disappointed with the third round but like I said, a four-shot lead into the last round is a good position to be in. It drains you (to be leading) but it’s a better position to be leading obviously other than to chase.

“Today, Charl had the momentum and I was fighting against it. It’s not the easiest golf course here. I’ll just go out and focus on my own game and shoot another low score.”

In contention: Englishman Simon Dyson is currently fifth on the leaderboard

Although he is still trailing by four, Schwartzel believes he now has a chance of victory – something that looked unlikely 24 hours ago.

The South African said: “At least there’s light at the end of the tunnel now. Four shots is not much out there.

“I’ve been playing really well and I can shoot a low score on this golf course. I felt I should have shot a 63 (today).

“I’ve won about two or three tournaments where I was four shots behind. I’ve done it before. You sort of know that you have to play well and there are no doubts in your mind.”

He added: “You can sense when the tides are turning. I’m making four birdies in a row and he is not getting anything at all. You can sense that all of a sudden it has changed. The lead is getting shorter and shorter and it has to affect you. You won’t be human if it doesn’t.”

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