Torrance helps out of sorts Lee Westwood

Although the true test of Sam Torrance’s mettle as a Ryder Cup captain won’t be examined until the match gets underway on Friday, the Scot has already shown his worth by the manner in which he’s put Lee Westwood back on track.

Torrance and the fretful Westwood played together on the Brabazon course here last Thursday when, it’s fair to say, the Englishman’s form over the front nine was on a par with most of his performances over the past year.

"Lee was terrible," admitted his manager Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, "so Sam took him aside at the turn where they had a bit of a chat. Sam told him: ‘Just remember how good you once were’. The advice worked and Lee has played a lot better since. In fact, he shot 63 at Lindrick the next day."

Chandler believes that if Westwood can keep his 11th hour return to form going over the next couple of practice days then the former European No1 might just give the captain an unexpectedly pleasant problem. By demonstrating an ability to make a fuller contribution than seemed likely a few weeks ago - the Worksop golfer revelled in the company of Colin Montgomerie yesterday - Westwood hopes to remind Torrance of the adage that form is temporary but class is forever.

Mark you, it’s clear a golfer who was ranked fourth in the world during the 2001 Masters at Augusta has not relished the plunge to 133rd spot. "You get used to people asking you how you’re playing with a tone in their voice that they expect you to say ‘Oh, crap’. I think that’s a bit wearing after a while."

Interestingly, there was also a hint of belligerence about Westwood’s demeanour which belied the pattern of a season in which he’s not posted a single top-ten finish. Now, at last, emerging from a cocoon of bad form, the former European No1 could hardly have been more contemptuous in his dismissal of a suggestion that the American players care less about the outcome of the Ryder Cup than their European opponents.

Clearly the questioner was on Mars when the American players and their wives and girlfriends ran onto the 17th green at Brookline after Justin Leonard holed that long putt against Jose Maria Olazabal.

"I don’t really know how to answer that question because I think it’s a load of crap," he said. "I think they look forward to every minute of the Ryder Cup. In the two matches I’ve played in, you could see the emotion etched in their faces. Excuse my French, but if anyone says it doesn’t mean anything to the Americans, they’re talking out of their backside."

Westwood played with Colin Montgomerie yesterday and the pair were buoyed by a 3 and 2 victory over Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke.

Monty, of course, was his usual irascible self with the galleries. Having missed the green at the short 12th, the Scot was not best pleased with his lie. One spectator felt the grumpiness was a bit overdone and then suggested the shot was straightforward.

Expecting to call the man’s bluff, Montgomerie invited the chap to come through the ropes and play the shot himself. The man agreed, accepted a wedge and to Monty’s great surprise wafted the ball within three feet of the cup