Lee Westwood rebuffs DiMarco's comments

Former European number one Lee Westwood has hit back at American Chris DiMarco's accusation that there is "hatred" in Ryder Cup matches.

Speaking on Wednesday, the day before the Dunhill Links Championship, Westwood expressed incredulity at DiMarco's comments on television during last week's Presidents Cup team competition at Lake Manassas, Virginia.

"Hatred? Well not from our side, so it must be from theirs," said Westwood, a member of Europe's last four Ryder Cup teams.

"How a veteran of one Ryder Cup can say that is beyond me.

"If he thought it was bad the last time in Detroit (the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills) he should have been in Boston (in 1999)."

DiMarco is remembered for urging on the crowd with pugnacious fist-pumping during last year's record win by Europe, but Westwood said that "passion" to win should not be mistaken for hatred.

"It doesn't exist. There is no hatred in the Ryder Cup," the 32-year-old Briton added.

"It's just very competitive and you want to beat your partners. At the end of the day, you could have sat down and had a beer with them."

The word 'hate' has, however, been used by one European player.

Westwood's fellow Englishman and Ryder Cup team mate Paul Casey was reported as saying last year that he "properly hated" Americans when playing against them in the biennial matches.

However, that did not excuse DiMarco, Westwood maintained.

"Paul was condemned for what he said at the start of the year and Chris thinks it's all right to do it on TV, where your words can't even be misrepresented," he added.

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