Lee Westwood may turn 47 in a few months, but the former world No 1 still enjoys his competitive golf with a youthful exuberance.
By his admission, he doesn’t practice anywhere near as much, probably because 24 victories on the European Tour alone allows that.
With that in mind, Westwood came into Abu Dhabi this week on the back of a winter break in which his golf was confined to three days with son, Sam, in Florida and about three hours on the range back in the UK at Close House, in Newcastle.
So the Englishman arrived at the opening Rolex Series event of the year with little expectation. It just so happens, that he left Saturday holding the 54-hole lead.
A third-round 65 highlighted by an eagle on the 8th lifted Westwood to 14-under par for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA, one ahead of Bernd Wiesberger and Francesco Laporta. Matt Fitzpatrick was a shot further back, while Sergio Garcia and Kurt Kitayama sat close by, on 11-under.
For Westwood, heading such a stellar field at the beginning of his season represented a real source of pride.
“It’s great,” he said. “If you’d asked the 19-year-old at the school in Montpellier what he’d be doing at the start of 2020, I doubt he’d have given the answer that he’d leading a Rolex Series event. It’s just fun, isn’t it? I’m playing the game that I love every day.”
Shots like his second on the 8th would help deepen the devotion. The par 5 is not usually reachable in two for Westwood, but such was his whacked drive and the wind direction, that he decided to take on the green. With 266 yards to the hole, he crushed a hybrid that ended three feet from the pin.
Tap-in eagle executed, Westwood birdied four more holes and didn't let the bogey on 14 derail him, concluding the day at the summit. And, despite approaching another birthday in April, the Englishman admitted chasing a 25th win on tour – 44th worldwide – still gets the juices flowing.
“Yeah, I get excited,” he said. “I have to rein myself in when I’m out there playing in the third round and start looking at leaderboards and thinking about winning on Sunday night. That’s where you use your experience, don’t you?
“But I wouldn’t be right if I don’t get that sensation in my mouth and those feelings. Anybody who’s been successful in sport loves being in the cut and thrust of it, playing the big games, the majors and getting in contention. That’s what you do all the hard work for.”
Most of Westwood’s work now is done in the gym. It has prolonged an already illustrious career that, after more than four years without a victory, breathed new life with his most recent success, at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa in late 2018.
Now, Westwood’s hunting a second Rolex Series title. “I don’t know how much time I have at this level,” he said. “I’m 46 – 47 in April – and I feel great. As long as I’ve got the drive to stay healthy and go in the gym and work hard when I get out here.
“I clearly don’t work as hard when I’m at home. But I don’t think I need to do that any more. I’ve been playing this game for 33 years now and I don’t think a lot’s going to change in the golf swing. There’s just a little bit of fine-tuning here and there, and holing putts on any given week.”
Yet, even with the mindfulness and maturity, there’s some things that still escape not only Westwood, but anybody competing on the National Course. Namely, predicting for certain what score it’ll take to win on Sunday.
“One better than everybody else,” Westwood said. “I can't tell the future. I'm just going to go out there and play as well as I can, and if it's good enough, then great. I know I'm talented enough to win the tournament. It's just a case of applying myself.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Read more about the coronavirus
The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
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Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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