Lee Westwood came back at 7:30 a.m. Friday to finish his final four holes of the weather-suspended first round. And he wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence when he stood on the sixth tee, dark clouds, appropriately, hanging over his head.
“You stand on that tee, with four holes to play, you’re not really looking at too many birdie chances in those holes,” Westwood said.
But a strange thing happened to Westwood on his way back to the clubhouse. He made two birdies on the finishing holes – from 12 feet at the par-3 eighth and a 5-footer at No. 9 – and found himself back in a familiar position – on the leader board at the U.S. Open. He finished the first round at 3-under 67, one shot behind 18-hole leader Andrew Landry.
“To walk off 2-under par for those four holes was obviously very satisfying and a great way to finish the round off,” Westwood said.
That Westwood, once the No. 1-ranked player in the world, was high on a leader board in a major championship is nothing new. He has been in position to win more than his share of major titles, even on Sunday. The problem is, he never finishes high enough.
Gerry Dulac looks back on the second day of action at Oakmont. (Video by Matt Freed)
Westwood is golf’s version of the city of Cleveland. He is 0 for 72 in major championships. No active player has endured a longer drought in tournaments that matter the most. Maybe the Penguins should have invited him to the parade Wednesday to let him know what it feels like to win a championship.
Sergio Garcia might be the highest-earning player on the PGA Tour ($42 million) without a major championship. But he is 0 for 70 in majors, two behind Westwood.
“I’ve been playing really nicely; I’ve been playing well,” Westwood said. “I was really looking forward to coming back to Oakmont. I had a good experience here the last time. I like a challenge. This golf course is certainly a challenge. It tests you mentally.”
Westwood never hit another shot Friday after his birdie putt at the finishing hole. He is in the afternoon wave of the second-round pairings and will not get back on the course until 8:28 a.m. today.
But it has been continued good play for Westwood. It is easy to forget he was the player who finished tied for second at the Masters. With Jordan Spieth.
“It gave me a big boost, a big shot of confidence,” Westwood said. “I haven’t contended in a big tournament for a while. So it was nice to get up there and hang about and give myself a chance.”
Westwood is 43 and no longer is in discussions of tournament favorites. But it wasn’t that long ago when he was.
In 2010, he replaced Tiger Woods as the No. 1 player in the world and stayed there for 22 weeks. Since the world golf rankings began in 1986, only 10 players have held the No. 1 position longer. But, of the 19 players who have been ranked No. 1 in that time, Westwood and England’s Luke Donald (56 weeks) are the only players to never win a major.
Westwood, though, has had his chances. Since 2008, he has finished second three times and third on five occasions. He has 12 top-10 finishes in his past 31 starts in major championships.
Five of those have been in the U.S. Open. His best chance came in 2008 when he missed a 20-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole that would have put him in a Monday playoff with Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.
“People have always said that because I drive the ball pretty straight and my irons are pretty accurate,” Westwood said. “But if you look, I suppose, I’ve had more chances at the Masters. At first, I didn’t think that would be a course that suits me, but I’ve gotten used to that. I think I’ve had my chances at the Open, but I think, if you did look at my game, I suppose the U.S. Open should suit me more than others.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
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