The 2010 season was a crazy one for many different reasons, but the craziest thing of all is the fact Tiger Woods lost the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in over five years. It’s no surprise Woods had his worst year as a professional, but who would have predicted he would fall out of the top spot? I sure didn’t.
Lee Westwood took over the top spot in the rankings after playing really well the past couple years. He has won several events worldwide and has been in the hunt in more majors than anyone. With all his recent success, however, he is still looking for his first major victory. Will he finally break through and win a big one in 2011? Keep reading to find out.
After finishing third at the 2008 U.S. Open and missing out on a playoff by one shot, Westwood has reeled off a number of top-three finishes in majors. He tied for third at the 2009 British Open and 2009 PGA Championship. The Englishman had the green jacket in his grasp at the 2010 Masters before finishing as the runner-up. He added another runner-up finish at the 2010 British Open, although he was a distant second to Louie Oosthuizen.
As well as Westwood has played the majors over the last few years, however, he is starting to get a reputation for not being able to finish off a major under the intense pressure. He was in control of the 2010 Masters, and while he didn’t play a terrible final round, he definitely wasn’t at his best on Sunday. His short game has let him down in the past, and it’s the main reason he is still winless in the majors. His chipping under pressure seemed to improve a little in 2010, but his putting still let him down when it counted the most.
Now that the brief history lesson is out of the way, it’s time to look ahead to the 2011 season. Will Lee Westwood finally break through and win his first major? You bet he will. He took a huge step by moving to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings a month ago, and he has played very well since then. It remains to be seen how long he will stay at the top, but it will be a slight failure for him to go another season without winning a major. He has talked a lot about deserving the #1 ranking, and now it’s time for him to back that up by winning a major.
Westwood’s golf game has been extremely solid the past couple years, and it really sets up well for every kind of major venue. Some people, including myself, didn’t think his game would fit Augusta National very well. After his performance at the 2010 Masters, he laid that to rest. There isn’t a better golfer from tee-to-green, and that will put him in contention most places. If he can prove he can putt under Sunday back-nine pressure, he will win multiple majors over the next few seasons.
It will be a surprise if Westwood doesn’t put himself near the top of the leaderboard at the 2011 Masters, and he has the game to win the U.S. Open at Congressional as well. The British Open and PGA Championship are at Royal St. George’s and Atlanta Athletic Club, respectively. If he doesn’t win one of the first two, he won’t panic. You can go ahead and put the Englishman’s name on the Claret Jug. As much as he has supported the European Tour throughout his career, it will be fitting if he wins his first major at the Open Championship. It’s always hard to predict major winners, but there isn’t anyone in golf (Tiger included) more capable of getting the job done next year.
It’s your turn to tell me what you think. Will Lee Westwood finally break through and win one of the 2011 Major Championships? If so, which one/s will he win? If not, what part of his game will keep him out of the winner’s circle at the majors? If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss them in the forum. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
I believe Lee Westwood certainly has the ability to win a major. But I also think he hurt his prospects of doing so by deciding not to play the PGA Tour. I won’t argue that the European Tour isn’t made up of skilled golfers, it is. But I don’t believe the competition week to week, top to bottom, is as difficult as the PGA tour. Lee would have benefited from playing in this environment more than he will playing European Tour. IMO
“But I also think he hurt his prospects of doing so by deciding not to play the PGA Tour.”
How on Earth has he managed to get this far, then, playing such a second-rate Tour? And who are the guys he is up against – McDowell, Molinaris (is that a real name?) Jimenez, Kaymer, Ousthuizen and the rest. And next year, this hyped-up kid, Mcilroy to add to the bunch. Bunch of no-hopers, the lot of them, they’ll never amount to anything, clearly.
While the European Tour may have a long tail, at the top it is very good indeed, as the results show. With 3 Majors and 3 WGC victories this year for European Tour players, I’d back its top 20 against the PGA Tour top 20 right now. And the variety of courses it plays on can only be good practice for the Majors. Come rain, wind, shine, hard greens, soft greens, whatever.
Yes, I think Westwood will win several Majors, probably starting next year. (I think Tiger will win at least one as well, btw.)