LEE WESTWOOD!!!

[Terry Lavin]

I say he's gonna win this thing.

[mike_beene]

I hope so.I always get this idea that people deserve a major and he does.Plus he has come so far back.I am pulling for him and Choi.Not sure what KJ has done as my wife has the big TV so screwed up we can't get it to work.

[David_Tepper]

Easy Terry. How many 1st round leaders of any tournament, let alone a major, wind up winning the event? You could almost say the odds are now against him.

However, hats off to Mr. Westwood.  It looks like he has lost a good 15-20 pounds and that will have to help his stamina over the 4 days of play.

[Terry Lavin]

Easy Terry. How many 1st round leaders of any tournament, let alone a major, wind up winning the event? You could almost say the odds are now against him.

However, hats off to Mr. Westwood.  It looks like he has lost a good 15-20 pounds and that will have to help his stamina over the 4 days of play.

Just trying to provoke discussion. I would like to see him win, though. He'd be a popular winner the world over.

[Sean Leary]

Set himself up for another second place finish.

I'd love to see him get a major and if he does, I bet he gets a few more before he is done. 

[David_Tepper]

I just wonder if Westwood has the short game to win it.

[Terry Lavin]

It's not going to be easy, but I have a feeling he has the steel to get it done after many close calls.

[Jason Walker]

Terry-

I hope you're right--I'm a big Westwood fan.

But I've been saying the same thing for a number of years.

Gonna be tough.

[David_Tepper]

It is also nice to see Paul Lawrie playing well again, after being lost in the desert for so many years.

[David_Tepper]

Since 1980, only 3 first round leaders have won the Masters.

[Colin Macqueen]

David,

I read somewhere that Paul Lawrie has resurrected the joy in his game having played many a competitive round with his son. His return to the forefront of the world stage would indeed be a Lazarus type of act. It is Easter after all and miracles abound!

[Scott Macpherson]

Lee is attached to the golf course I designed in Newcastle , England called the 'Colt' at Close House. He came to the opening in May last year and asked to be attached and has been a revelation ever since. He conducts himself extremely well, has a great sense of humour and is obviously a very talented player. We are all wishing him a great week, and if he keeps putting like he did in round one, he'll be very hard to stop.

GO LEE!

[Mark Pearce]

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Westwood.  I'd love him to win this week but I worry that his short game isn't quite up to a Masters win.  I've always thought he's most likely to win an Open (of either variety).  Would love to be proved wrong but there's a long, long way to go.

[Scott Warren]

He has gone close before, so let's hope he draws on that and can convert.

I will say the bit of nastiness between he and McIlroy regarding Rory's break from Chandler has cooled me a bit on both of them - Westwood more than Rory if I'm honest - but I know so little about the inner machinations of it that I try not to read took much into that.

Hopefully an Aussie can go low Friday and give us a chance at the weekend.

[Rich Goodale]

Calm down, Westwood huggers!  There are a lot of quality players within 5 shots, and 5 shots means nothing at Augusta, particularly the way the course seems to be playing (i.e. fair but treacherous).  Lee has as good a chance as anybody, but he still needs to prove he can close the deal in a major.  So far he is more of a Monty than a Faldo in this regard.  Looks like a fun weekend ahead for us spectators!

[Colin Macqueen]

Not to mention Lawrie Lovers!!!

Scots wha hae an a' that!!!

[Rich Goodale]

Colin

I'm a Lawrie Lover too (mostly for those two great and courageous 4-irons he hit to the 18th at Carnoustie to beat Leonard and Van de Velde, but also because he was kind enough to write the forward to my Carnoustie book....)

David

Did you ever see Johnny Miller in his prime?  Or Moe Norman, now that I think about it (see http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,14765.msg252707/topicseen.html#msg252707)

Rich

[Jud_T]

I'd love to see it but come sunday if he's not still hitting it stiff I cringe to think of him standing over some 5 footers for grinding pars.

[Michael George]

I tend to root for the person that "deserves" to win the most - that is Westwood in this year's Masters.  Here's hoping he does it.

But as long as Phil beats Tiger, I will be happy.

[George Pazin]

I really hope Lee wins, he would be my first choice (among the contenders). But it's too early to get excited.

I wonder how much of his stellar play was due to soft, receptive greens. The weekend is supposed to be beautiful, things should firm up a good bit.

Does anyone know what type of course Lee learned the game on? Links/heathland/parkland?

[Jim Tang]

Westwood hit 16 or 18 greens!  That is rediculously good.  I would love to see him win, although I agree the first round leader almost never wins.

[Tim Pitner]

No one hits it better than Westwood, for 63 holes or so.  I'm a big fan, but he has shown tendencies to fade down the stretch and his short game, particularly his chipping, isn't top notch.  I'm rooting for him.

George,

I'm sure Westwood grew up playing parkland golf.  He's a blue collar lad, from Worksop I believe.  I recall him saying several years ago that he considered TOC to be the 200th best course ... in Fife.

[Paul_Turner]

Since 1980, only 3 first round leaders have won the Masters.

David

I suspect that's probably normal for all tournaments...about 10% win rate for 1st round leaders.

But then again how many in 2nd place after round 1 have gone onto win...or 5th, or 20th.

I've gotta think that more players win after leading through round #1, in comparison with any other position...it probably would show up in the stats if you look at enough tournaments.

[Adam Lawrence]

I'm not sure where Lee learned the game, but I know he played a lot of his golf at Lindrick, which is pretty classic heath.

[George Pazin]

Thanks, Tim P and Adam.

Tim, that comment about TOC is funny, especially so for me, because my first and maybe still strongest memory of TOC on TV was watching Lee putt one stone dead from at least 50 yards off the green on one of the earlier holes (maybe 5 or 6). It's curious that he's not a big fan, yet can still get it right. Maybe these guys really are good...

David

Did you ever see Johnny Miller in his prime?  Or Moe Norman, now that I think about it (see http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,14765.msg252707/topicseen.html#msg252707)

Rich

And yet Johnny's irons didn't seem to be as close at Augusta... How many times was he in serious contention there? JM was very honest about this in a recent Golf or GD interview, stating that the greens at Augusta were just too tough for his suspect putting. I think if he let something like that slip out more frequently while on air, he might pick up a few more fans.