Lee Westwood

## Lee Westwood: Giant of European golf with his feet firmly on the ground Westwood is one of the most engaging, down-to-earth, and likable sports stars you could ever hope to meet. The Englishman could be forgiven for a hint of a swagger when he looks back over a marvelous career. He has won 44 times on tours across the globe, was No. 1 in the world rankings for 22 weeks, and no European can match his record of featuring on seven victorious Ryder Cup teams. Yet he takes it all in his easy, affable stride, and his enduring professionalism and competitiveness is laced with a self-deprecating line of humor. For instance, when reminded of his exceptionally calm approach on the course, he refers back to a time when he was not so mellow. At the Australian Masters in early 1998, he recalled on the LIV Golf podcast Fairway To Heaven, that he was playing with a new set of shafts that were too stiff. Approach after approach refused to stop on the green, and Westwood repeatedly threw the offending iron at his golf bag, where it would snap. Approaching the green at one of his final holes, he had 175 yards to go and asked his caddie which club to use. “It’s either a 4-iron or a 9-iron,” came the reply. The four clubs in between had all been broken. “I decided at that stage it was time to chill out,” Westwood said with a laugh. He brings that calm, focused approach to his role as a co-captain of Majesticks GC.