‘That’s garbage’: Lee Westwood, in U.S. Senior Open hunt, balks at LIV query

NEWPORT, R.I. — Lee Westwood is making his U.S. Senior Open debut this week — and he picked a heck of a spot to take action. Newport Nation Membership, the traditional seaside course on the southern tip of Rhode Island, is taking part in host to the forty fourth version of this championship, and gamers are giving rave evaluations.

Though this Prime 100 observe dates again to the 1800s, it supplies a sturdy check — and loads of historical past. Newport CC was among the many 5 founding member golf equipment of the USGA, and it hosted the first U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, method again in 1895. Though the scores aren’t fairly as excessive as they have been within the late nineteenth century, the course nonetheless has loads of tooth — particularly when the wind blows.

Fortunately for Westwood, the wind wasn’t a lot of an element throughout his opening spherical. Going off within the 8:24 a.m. grouping, the ocean breeze didn’t begin howling till his previous few holes. By then, he was already within the midst of a gentle spherical that he was a four-under 66.

“I might think about these are the perfect scoring circumstances we’re going to have all week,” Westwood mentioned. “It wasn’t actually that windy till type of the final 5, six holes. It laid down and was there for the taking early on.”

For a lot of golf followers, that is the primary glimpse of the 51-year-old they’ve gotten in fairly a while. Since defecting to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit in 2022, Westwood has not performed on the PGA Tour. In Might of 2023, he resigned his DP World Tour membership as properly. Outdoors of the LIV schedule, he’s appeared sparingly in Asian Tour occasions, however he’s removed from the worldwide identify he as soon as was.

Nonetheless, within the opening spherical at Newport CC, Westwood proved he’s nonetheless acquired loads of recreation. With 4 birdies and an eagle (towards simply two bogeys), the previous World No. 1 finds himself inside the highest 10 in his U.S. Senior Open debut. And after battling a glandular fever final yr, he says he lastly feels just like the Westwood of outdated.

“Takes some time to get out of your system,” he mentioned. “Simply began feeling properly the final couple months. Yeah, no excuse now.”

Most run-of-the-mill senior tour occasions (in addition to competitions on LIV Golf) are solely 54 holes. However on the U.S. Senior Open, the USGA makes use of 72 holes to find out a champion. One reporter jokingly requested if a 51-year-old recovering from a glandular fever might probably survive 72 holes this week. For that, Westwood had the proper response.

“It’s taking part in in trousers that’s bothering me extra,” Westwood mentioned. (LIV Golf permits gamers to put on shorts throughout competitors). “I’m a finely tuned athlete as you’ll be able to see. You realize, that’s garbage actually. Seventy-two holes received’t be an issue. Like I say, it’s trying down and seeing me legs in trousers. I favor to get me legs out.”

If Westwood continues to play like he did on Thursday, he’ll have an ideal alternative to stroll away with the trophy by the tip of the week.

If he can survive 72 holes in pants, that’s.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com the place he spends his days running a blog, producing and modifying. Previous to becoming a member of the staff at GOLF, he attended the College of Texas adopted by stops with the Texas Golf Affiliation, Staff USA, the Inexperienced Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all issues instruction and covers novice and girls’s golf. He could be reached at [email protected].