Westwood hoping swing changes will work

Lee Westwood is hoping to prove his remodelled swing is getting into shape at this week's British Masters by at last finding his game clicking into place and shooting four low rounds.

The reigning European number one made the swing changes because he felt his game was not good enough to earn him a major and, because he has played so little this year, he has struggled in the four events he has entered.

Last week he missed the cut in Europe's main tour event, the PGA Championship, and he languishes 147th on the rankings he won last year for the first time.

But the 28-year-old Englishman has seen signs of improvement in the last two days and is hopeful for an upturn in form in a tournament this week which offers a 300,000 dollar first prize. Westwood is playing after asking for a sponsor's invitation.

"I decided on Monday morning that I could do with playing this week to try to find a bit of form," said Westwood on Wednesday.

"It wasn't really disappointing to miss the cut last week, rather that it was the first cut I'd missed since 1999.

"I got off to an horrific start at Wentworth, and bogeyed the first four holes when I could have come out of them one-under easily. It was going to be hard to make six birdies to stay in the tournament, but I made three.

"My swing's not as good as I'd like it but I have been working quite hard over the last couple of days and it seems to be improving.

"It's just finding a key and waiting for it to click.

"I just keep working on the basics, the fundamentals, and it will gradually come back. It's getting better all the time.

"I did hit it better last week than the two previous weeks, so I'm moving in the right direction and, if I keep hitting this way, I'm quite capable of shooting four low scores."

This week Westwood will be up against the man whose European number one title he took last year, Colin Montgomerie, with Darren Clarke and Monday's PGA winner Andrew Oldcorn also in the field. Westwood also plays with world 16th-ranked Dane Thomas Bjorn, who beat Tiger Woods in this year's Dubai Desert Classic.

Last year's champion Gary Orr, though, has had to withdraw with a stomach illness.

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