Westwood ‘in good shape’ for Masters boost

LEE WESTWOOD has been paired with Phil Mickelson in the first two rounds of the Shell Houston Open this week as the Englishman attempts to secure the world number one spot ahead of The Masters next week.

Needing a top-two finish to go back to the top of the pile, the 37-year-old will have the man who beat him in Augusta last year for company on Thursday and Friday.

Neither has won yet this season, but Westwood said yesterday: “I feel like I am playing well – my game’s in good shape. All of it seems pretty sharp.

“This is generally the time of year I start playing fairly well and hitting a bit of form. It’s a good time of year to start playing well.

“The main point here is they try to get the greens as quick as possible so when you get to Augusta it’s not as big a shock to see the speed of them. You’ve been prepared for them.

“It helped a lot last year (he came joint eighth in Houston). I like to be competitive going into the week of a major. That’s the reason I play the schedule I play.

“If you look at all the major championships this year, I am playing the week before. If I go in after two weeks off I could be rusty, even for nine holes — and that’s too much in a major.”

Westwood’s putting has been his biggest concern so far in 2011 and he is planning a change for this week to see how it goes.

Also paired together in the first two rounds are Jose Maria Olazabal and Davis Love, who will be seeing a lot of each other in the next 18 months as the two Ryder Cup captains.

It is Olazabal’s first appearance in America since June 2009. He was out most of last season with a recurrence of rheumatic pains.

Meanwhile, Martin Laird, winner of a second PGA Tour title in Florida on Sunday, has confirmed he will be playing in his home Barclays Scottish Open at Castle Stuart near Inverness on July 7-10.

The 28-year-old joins a top-class field that already includes Masters champion Mickelson, US Open champion Graeme McDowell and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington.