Westwood hoping to repeat Carnoustie feat

Lee Westwood is back this week at the scene of what he rates one of the finest rounds of his career - a level-par 72.

Another indication of just how tough Carnoustie will be for the Open this year came when Westwood recalled the windswept final day of the 1996 Scottish Open on the course.

It was the day when Ian Woosnam shot 75 and triumphed by four strokes with the highest winning total on the European Tour - a one-over-par 289 - since Sandy Lyle's 1985 Open victory at Sandwich.

"I started the day in 27th place, scored 72 and finished fourth," recalled Westwood. "It has to be one of the best rounds I have ever played."

At the time Westwood had still to win as a professional, but he had only three more weeks to wait for that - his breakthrough came at the Scandinavian Masters - and since then the 26-year-old from Worksop has become a winner all round the world.

Tonight he was due to receive his award as Europe's player of the year from the Association of Golf Writers at their annual dinner at Carnoustie - and he hopes to be receiving another trophy on Sunday. The Open claret jug.

"There are less expectations on me this year I suppose because last year I had won at Loch Lomond the week before," he said.

"But not much tends to bother me. I'm not bothered if I am favourite - except you don't get such good odds."

Westwood has seen himself offered as high as 25-1 this time, but asked if he would be investing some cash in that he smiled and answered: "I don't gamble - I leave that to Chubby." Meaning his manager Andrew Chandler.

Fifth, seventh and fifth in his last three tournaments, the world number 10 feels he is running into form at the right time after a worrying shoulder problem straight after the Masters in April.

At Augusta Westwood led with nine holes to play but then went bogey-double bogey-bogey and had to play the last six holes in two under just to climb back into sixth place - still his best finish in a major tournament.

He recalled the feeling of being in contention there as "worse than the Ryder Cup - my stomach was in knots and it made me feel sick."

But he wants the feeling again and said: "It was definitely different and I probably got ahead of myself and probably didn't think correctly. Pressure does funny things to you."