Monty tips Westwood for Masters glory
Graeme McDowell holds the US Open, Louis Oosthuizen the British Open and Martin Kaymer the US PGA – a trend that Montgomerie sees continuing in 2011.
“I think Lee Westwood will win the first major of the year,” said Europe’s Ryder Cup captain yesterday at the launch of next May’s ‘Golf Live’ event at the London Club in Kent.
“Lee has been second or third on a number of occasions now, but the world number one status has just increased his confidence.
“It’s not affected him in any way, shape or form and with the end to the season he’s had I feel it will run into a win at The Masters.”
Graeme McDowell agrees with Lee Westwood’s assessment that Rory McIlroy would have been a more worthy recipient than Rickie Fowler of the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.
American Fowler totalled seven top-10s in 2010 while McIlroy, who has confirmed he will return to the European Tour next season, finished tied for third at two majors – the British Open and USPGA – and won the Quail Hollow Championship in May before helping Europe to Ryder Cup glory in October.
Westwood tweeted his surprise at the decision on Monday, accusing the PGA Tour of “protectionism”, and McDowell reckons the world number one has a point.
He said : “You can’t really compare Rickie Fowler’s season to Rory’s. Rory, what is he, 11th in the world now?
“He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen. To win Quail Hollow in the style he did, to be challenging in major championships at the young age of 21 years old, I certainly think he was deserving of Rookie of the Year.
“But, at the end of the day it’s just a title – it’s nothing. Rory McIlroy will go on, I believe he will become one of the best players in the world – if not the best player – and win major championships.
“I certainly agree with Lee that Rory was a lot more deserving than Rickie Fowler.”
Meanwhile the Americans are taking their time over naming a successor to Corey Pavin as Ryder Cup captain.
No announcement is expected until the new year, far later than has been the case in recent times.
Pavin was appointed in December two years ago, predecessors Paul Azinger and Tom Lehman in November and before them Hal Sutton, Curtis Strange and Ben Crenshaw were all unveiled only a month after the previous match.
Favourite to do the job at Medinah in Chicago in 2012 is Davis Love, one of Pavin’s assistants in the one-point defeat in October.
He said only a few days afterwards: “I definitely want to be a captain. If they (the PGA of America) talk to me about it I’ll be excited about it.
“If the players want me to be the captain then I want it. If I get a sense that they want somebody else, then I wouldn’t do it. That’s what it boils down to.
“If you asked me two months ago I’d have said ‘No, I don’t want to take any chance on screwing up playing’, but now I look at it I don’t want to take any chances on not getting to be the Ryder Cup captain.”
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