Lee Westwood targets better 2002

Lee Westwood's rise to prominence was nothing short of meteoric, after he burst on to the world stage with his win at the Volvo Scandinavian Masters in 1996.

After taking his career to the next level with several wins across the world in 1999 and 2000, the Worksop wonder though hit a wall in 2001.

He failed to win a single event and suffered a major loss of confidence over his swing that threatened to derail his career.

The 2000 European Order of Merit winner though, believes that he is back in the groove and ready to mix it with the best players in the world this season.

He starts his campaign at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth against the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia and South African duo Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

The 28-year-old claimed: "I've had a good rest but I didn't put the clubs away like I normally do, so I feel fresh but not rusty.

"I didn't work very hard the previous two years when I was playing well. A bit of complacency maybe, I didn't really check up on my swing and a few faults crept in.

"I had four or five months off at the start for my son's birth. I then found it hard to play because I didn't really have the rhythm I had lost it laying off for a while."

The former Cisco World Matchplay champion also took time to praise the layout of the course.

He added: "The course is great, it reminds me a lot of the courses in Melbourne - Royal Melbourne, Metropolitan, Huntingdale.

"I won the Australian Open at Metropolitan so I'm getting a good feel for it."

Last week's winner Justin Rose also lines up alongside Australian sensations Aaron Baddeley and Adam Scott, who missed the defence of his Dunhill title after his father was injured in a jet-ski accident.

Scott claimed: "I was disappointed not to be able to go back as it was my first time to defend a tournament, but I felt it was more important to be at home with the family after the accident."

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