Westwood focused on third European Open win

Lee Westwood has his sights on a third European Open title in six years at the K Club near Dublin this weekend.

Westwood, winner in 1999 and 2000, resumed today in third place, one behind Dutchman Maarten Lafeber and three behind United States Open champion Retief Goosen.

But following a second round 69 he described as “the best I have played all year”, the 31-year-old spared a thought for playing partner Colin Montgomerie, the man he succeeded as European number one four years ago.

Montgomerie was unable to cope with the wind and rain as well as Westwood did yesterday, collapsing to an 82 which meant he missed the cut by five strokes.

“I know better than anyone what it is like to struggle. I have total sympathy and respect for him for sticking at it,” said Westwood, who has come back to prominence after falling from fourth in the world to outside the top 250.

Westwood’s two previous victories in the event were on the Palmer Course the other side of the River Liffey and he does not hide the fact that he much prefers that to the more exposed Smurfit Course.

“The other one is one of my favourites and this is not,” he said. “But I always seem to play well in Ireland. It can’t be the Guinness or the Murphy’s, so I can only put it down to the hotel – and the breakfasts.”

Goosen is the player who followed Westwood as Europe’s leading money-winner and he retained the title in 2002.

A second major title has done wonders, it seems, for the South African’s confidence. He came with no great expectations this week, having put his clubs away for nine days following Shinnecock Hills – a long time in mid-season for one of the world’s top 10.

On this evidence it soon won’t be only Ernie Els and Vijay Singh challenging Woods for the number one position.

“It is everybody’s ambition to see if he can be the best player in the world,” he said. “But you need to play the golf first and I am still a long way from Tiger.”

Lafeber could go sixth in the Ryder Cup race by winning the massive first prize of€500,000 and the 29-year-old will be under no greater pressure than he was last October when he became the first home winner of the Dutch Open since Joop Ruhl in 1947.

After dropping four shots in his last three holes last night Padraig Harrington is 11 adrift at two over par.