Lee Westwood

[blademerchant]

So impressed once again as Westy heads the field at the Players.

 

I'm really interested though in how he is going so well again without an experienced caddie.

 

No disrespect to his partner, who he has had on his bag. But with her not being from a golfing background I can't see that he would be taking advice from her on club choice or course strategy. I don't see him call her in on the greens for a read.

 

Is it simply that he has played these courses many times and he knows where to go and not to go? How the course plays etc.

Has he got so much experience now that the need for a caddy is diminished? He just needs a yardage these days?

 

You see a lot of guys lean on their caddy when making big calls, caddies having huge input on the golfing side.

 

Clearly Westy enjoys having his partner there and you can't argue with the results. And really, good luck to the pair of them.

 

I could be missing something, but how is he schooling these guys who have the top caddies in the game, whilst presumably doing some of the caddies duties by himself in terms of the above?

 

 

 

 

 

[b.helts]

1 minute ago, blademerchant said:

I could be missing something, but how is he schooling these guys who have the top caddies in the game, whilst presumably doing some of the caddies duties by himself in terms of the above?

He is undoubtedly one of the finest ball strikers of his generation and still hits it better than most of the guys out there. 

[Obee]

1 minute ago, b.helts said:

He is undoubtedly one of the finest ball strikers of his generation and still hits it better than most of the guys out there. 

100%. 
 

Also, "knowledgable" caddies are vastly overrated for many experienced players with strong minds ... which most experienced players have learned to develop.

[jeffrey r]

He looks very happy and comfortable out there, and it is clearly working for the quality of the golf.  Westy is en fuego right now, and it's great to see.  Seems like a genuinely good guy.

[Creedo77]

15 minutes ago, blademerchant said:

So impressed once again as Westy heads the field at the Players.

 

I'm really interested though in how he is going so well again without an experienced caddie.

 

No disrespect to his partner, who he has had on his bag. But with her not being from a golfing background I can't see that he would be taking advice from her on club choice or course strategy. I don't see him call her in on the greens for a read.

 

Is it simply that he has played these courses many times and he knows where to go and not to go? How the course plays etc.

Has he got so much experience now that the need for a caddy is diminished? He just needs a yardage these days?

 

You see a lot of guys lean on their caddy when making big calls, caddies having huge input on the golfing side.

 

Clearly Westy enjoys having his partner there and you can't argue with the results. And really, good luck to the pair of them.

 

I could be missing something, but how is he schooling these guys who have the top caddies in the game, whilst presumably doing some of the caddies duties by himself in terms of the above?

 

 

 

 

 

He's been around forever, he knows his game and sometimes with an older player like he is having another voice in your head gets in the way.

 

A lot of caddies out there on the pro tours do not read or are asked for reads on greens. Sure, they'll get called in every so often but there's a large percentage that don't ask for that info from their guy. 

 

If you're a top top player, like Westy is you're not going to need much advice/help out there. I'm not taking anything away from the top caddies out there because they're so good at their jobs but there are situations with players where "less is more"

 

Lastly, being a caddie in that environment is a lot about distracting your player and taking his mind off the present. You can't talk golf for 6 hours a day, every day that you're together. The biggest art is saying the right things at the right time and knowing when to relax your guy when you can tell he needs the right things said to him. His fiancé is probably the best thing that can be out there with him, because she aint talking golf the whole day and she's clearly a calming presence 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Creedo77

[Creedo77]

Billy Foster, is Westys old caddie who is working for Fitzpatrick now.

 

The convo that Faldo and Bones had on coverage nails it on the head for me.

 

Todays game isn't about the caddie telling the player what to do but simply asking them how they want them to work. It's about reassuring them of their decision or stepping in at times and giving them another option. These guys know how to hit every shot in the game, but the confirmation of their decisions is what they lean on the most 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Creedo77

[DavidCrockett]

Westwood said he parted ways with his caddie precisely because he wants full control and doesn't need/want help from a caddie.  Anyone can clean clubs and haul them around, so why not have her on the bag?

[Obee]

1 minute ago, DavidCrockett said:

Westwood said he parted ways with his caddie precisely because he wants full control and doesn't need/want help from a caddie.  Anyone can clean clubs and haul them around, so why not have her on the bag?

 

x 1,000,000

[BIM_Monkey]

4 minutes ago, DavidCrockett said:

Westwood said he parted ways with his caddie precisely because he wants full control and doesn't need/want help from a caddie.  Anyone can clean clubs and haul them around, so why not have her on the bag?

It will save him a few £ too not having to give his caddy a % of his winnings. 

[RedWings1]

4 minutes ago, Obee said:

 

x 1,000,000

Plus, Shes great to look at, He loves her, She probably keeps him calm and happy out there.
All positives!

[mat562]

33 minutes ago, BIM_Monkey said:

It will save him a few £ too not having to give his caddy a % of his winnings. 

 

Yeah, you're not married...  😙

[BIM_Monkey]

1 minute ago, mat562 said:

 

Yeah, you're not married...  😙

Oh I am. I've no doubt she'll be taking her cut 😁

[3whacker]

Westwood is in a good place right now both on and off the golf course...people forget that both Stricker and Calc had their significant others on the bag for them and they did just fine...maybe to him its just a walk in the park with his best girl alongside...I can think of a few other players who could use a break from their traditional caddies and it just might improve their results

[iBanesto]

6 hours ago, b.helts said:

He is undoubtedly one of the finest ball strikers of his generation and still hits it better than most of the guys out there. 

 

If Westwood's chipping and putting behaves, he is always dangerous.

 

Westwood has finished in the world top 100, 24 out of the last 25 years.

 

Amazing achievement.

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by iBanesto

[Mathwiz]

For the past several years Westwood has been known as one of the best golfers to have not won a major. He is still that guy. He is playing some of his best golf currently. I wish him the best and would smile if he were to pull this "fifth major" off. He for sure has some serious talent clicking at his heels. Either way, this is going to be an interesting tournament the next two days.

[third-times-a-charm]

Kind of a hot take but by and large caddies are useless if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t put in the work to know what you’re doing then why be there at all?

 

Its like an actor and their manager. 

[Creedo77]

10 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Kind of a hot take but by and large caddies are useless if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t put in the work to know what you’re doing then why be there at all?

 

Its like an actor and their manager. 

Piss poor take 

 

These guys are playing for millions of dollars every week. They all get nervous as hell and if they were to be put on the spot on their own to make certain decisions they’d sh1t themselves. Plenty of caddies have helped in numerous situations and plenty of players have given credit to have someone they trust by their side 

[third-times-a-charm]

1 minute ago, Creedo77 said:

Piss poor take 

 

These guys are playing for millions of dollars every week. They all get nervous as hell and if they were to be put on the spot on their own to make certain decisions they’d sh1t themselves. Plenty of caddies have helped in numerous situations and plenty of players have given credit to have someone they trust by their side 

Eh, maybe.

 

Id like to see golf without caddies. Just the player vs the course and himself.

[Creedo77]

5 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Eh, maybe.

 

Id like to see golf without caddies. Just the player vs the course and himself.

good luck with that one

[byerxa]

She probably asked him one day "Why the heck do you play this stupid game if it makes you so grumpy?".  Lee probably then realized at this point in his life he might as well have fun playing the game. As mentioned she keeps him positive in a non-golf way.

 

IMO Bay Hill was the first time I remember Westwood being in such a pressure situation and his putter actually holding up.  There was one putt on Sunday where he looked like he was having a seizure but otherwise he sunk a lot of clutch putts and the others he missed were not because of his classic choke putting. Will be interesting how he holds up this weekend.

[archer1]

What I also very much enjoy about him being in contention, is the exposure this generates for his sponsor, UPS.

 

(Some may not know he is only one of two PGA Tour players permitted to be sponsored by a rival to FEDEX. The other is Oosthuizen.)

 

 

[Pleasedwith3putts]

10 hours ago, BIM_Monkey said:

It will save him a few £ too not having to give his caddy a % of his winnings. 

Surprised Kuchar doesn't have his wife on the bag or maybe it's because he doesn't always pay a % of winnings...

[Fischputza]

It is simple: just do what the wifey says and you will be in a happy place 😁

[ColinKelvin]

12 hours ago, blademerchant said:

So impressed once again as Westy heads the field at the Players.

 

I'm really interested though in how he is going so well again without an experienced caddie.

 

No disrespect to his partner, who he has had on his bag. But with her not being from a golfing background I can't see that he would be taking advice from her on club choice or course strategy. I don't see him call her in on the greens for a read.

 

Is it simply that he has played these courses many times and he knows where to go and not to go? How the course plays etc.

Has he got so much experience now that the need for a caddy is diminished? He just needs a yardage these days?

 

You see a lot of guys lean on their caddy when making big calls, caddies having huge input on the golfing side.

 

Clearly Westy enjoys having his partner there and you can't argue with the results. And really, good luck to the pair of them.

 

I could be missing something, but how is he schooling these guys who have the top caddies in the game, whilst presumably doing some of the caddies duties by himself in terms of the above?

 

 

 

 

 

 

You answered your own question there.  Westwood doesn't need any help at all to get round the course.  He has played most of these courses since the 90s and he has said in interviews that he loves having her on the bag precisely because she doesn't talk about golf between shots, just random everyday stuff!  Keeps him relaxed and calm. 

 

I would still put Monty ahead of Westy in terms of Best Player Never to have Won a Major, as he lost two playoffs and blew it at Winged Foot when winning would almost have been easier, but Westy has been extremely close (thinking particularly of Torrey Pines, where no one ever seems to mention that he finished 1 back with plenty of chances to be in the Tiger-Rocco play off, and also Turnberry 09, when he three putted the last to lose by a shot - after a miracle iron from a fairway bunker on the 72nd to give himself a chance). 

 

It's great that Westwood still has a realistic chance to win a major.  If he could get it done this week and bag the long-term exemption then that would help. He is in better shape than he was a decade ago, and his short game is better too.  My worry is still his clutch putting though.  If he had a 6-footer to win a major, would he hole it?

[Hankshank]

Westwood has always been one of the best in the long game, best ever I have seen IRL. IRL, his short game was not exactly impressing.  As on TV over the years. Has he found the the right short game trainer?

 

much like Sergio. No top-5 US player ever had a poor short game as long as I have followed golf. Seems like its sexy for kids to win in the US, sexy with long drives in Europe.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Hankshank

[cadman88]

 

 

[MtlJeff]

As others have said i would imagine a caddy becomes less valuable the longer you've been around on tour. Not to mention the fact that Westwood is in the latter stages of his PGA career, doesn't need to be any more succesful than he's been, and probably wants to enjoy it a bit more with people close to him if he can. 

 

 

[MtlJeff]

5 hours ago, archer1 said:

What I also very much enjoy about him being in contention, is the exposure this generates for his sponsor, UPS.

 

(Some may not know he is only one of two PGA Tour players permitted to be sponsored by a rival to FEDEX. The other is Oosthuizen.)

 

 

 

I think his sponsorship with UPS pre-dates the Fedex cup even . I remember him having that on his shirt now going back many years

[skyking]

I’ve always liked Lee and the way he plays...hope he wins. Sadly we all know he’ll collapse Sunday afternoon or get run over...assuming he’s still in contention after today. Regardless, he’ll get a nice checking account bump when the PGA does their direct deposit next week. 

[3whacker]

the thing I like about Westwood is that he doesnt seem to have the same same personality as someone like Monty....its nice to see guy smile and look like he is having a good time, instead of looking like he is constipated or passing a kidney stone