Lee
Westwood will be aiming to join Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo in the European
Tour record books when he competes in the British Masters this week.
A fourth successive victory in Europe is the target for the 26-year-old Englishman,
one which only Ballesteros, who has done it twice, and Faldo, the last to achieve
it in 1989, have hit in the past.
After his third in succession in the European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland,
on Sunday, Westwood's confidence is sky high as he bids to join the two players
who between them have won 11 major titles during their now fading careers.
"It would mean an awful lot
to follow Nick and Seve into the books, arguably the two best golfers ever to
come out of Europe. You don't get many chances and it's best to take them when
they're there," he said on the eve of the event on Wednesday.
"This
is a big tournament and winning it would help me in the Order of Merit and give
me confidence going into the Ryder Cup -- not that I'm low in confidence," added
Westwood who is ranked fifth in the world.
Westwood's victories in Crans-sur-Sierre and the Dutch and European Opens have
shown he is now fully fit following the shoulder injury he sustained after the
U.S. Masters in April. It affected him for nearly two months and the Dutch title
late in July was his first victory of the year.
Standing in his way this week as the British Masters returns to its former venue
of the Duke's Course at Woburn after a five-year gap is the considerable form
of Colin Montgomerie.
He has won five times this season and leads Westwood by £323,725 in his
pursuit of a seventh Order of Merit title.
Montgomerie said on Wednesday that after a week at home with his family he felt
"fresh and raring to go again".
"We
may be the best two in Europe right now but I don't see it as a rivalry," Westwood
said. "Obviously, if another player is playing well who is your main contender
it spurs you on to play better. You've got to try to stay in touch and at this
level that means winning tournaments.
This will be Westwood's last tournament before the Ryder Cup in two weeks and
he insisted his mind was firmly fixed on the immediate task and not yet on the
clash with the Americans at Brookline near Boston.
"I'm
not thinking Ryder Cup yet. I'm thinking about this week and winning this week,"
he said.
