Luck helps Westwood get back to Augusta

Every player in every Masters feels lucky to be there. Few may ever feel more grateful than Lee Westwood.

The former world No. 1 from England eked into the No. 50 spot in the final week of 2015, falling into a mathematical sweet spot that had him ranked 51st both the week before and after despite all the relevant figures being idle.

“It was incredible how it worked out,” Westwood said in Dubai. “But I take no credit. Working out the world rankings is way over my head.”

It was a massive stroke of good fortune after a trying year for Westwood on and off the golf course. A divorce from his wife of 17 years, Laurae, kept Westwood’s mind distracted from his trade and the results weren’t pretty. Westwood hadn’t posted a top-10 finish worldwide since the weeks following the 2015 Masters and by November fell outside the top 50 for the first time since 2006 after still residing inside the top 25 at the end of May.

But a tie for second behind Jamie Donaldson in Thailand in mid-December moved him back to No. 50 and earned his 17th trip to the Masters as well as a guaranteed place in his 21st consecutive Open Championship in July at Royal Troon.

“It was bizarre wasn’t it?” Westwood said. “I finished tied for second at the Thailand Masters towards the end of last year – only because another lad bogeyed the last hole – and that was the key to me making it. ... The way it worked out couldn’t have been better for me.”

After all of the hardships and struggles, it was a welcome relief for Westwood to know he had a place waiting for him at Augusta National in April.

“I needed that break after the season I’d had,” he told ESPN in January. “Getting into the Masters and the Open was a bit of a double whammy as far as I was concerned. That was a really good week for me at the end of the year – a nice way to contemplate the start of a new campaign.

“It wouldn’t have been good to miss out on Augusta. The Masters is the one everybody looks toward at the start of the year, it’s the natural one you want to peak for. Sure, there are some really good tournaments like the two WGC events on the horizon, but if we’re all honest, the early season is all about preparation for the Masters.”

Westwood has had excellent chances through the years to win each of the majors, including at Augusta in 1999 and 2010. He was leading heading to the back nine on Sunday in 1999 while playing with Tiger Woods but went bogey-double on 10 and 11 to kick away his chances.

“I was quite nervous,” he said of his first real chance to win a major. “But then I dropped a shot at the 10th and made a double on the 11th. I wasn’t so nervous after that. Funny that.”

In 2010, Westwood was cruising with a five-shot lead on Saturday before Phil Mickelson erased the gap with an eagle-eagle-birdie run on 13-15. Westwood couldn’t catch Mickelson on Sunday and settled for a heart-breaking runner-up.

“It was a great Masters. I enjoyed it,” Westwood said. “But I was playing great that week. so I have no real regrets. When Phil was going mental I didn’t do much wrong. Then, in the last round, he got a bit lucky around the turn. He got away with a few stray shots. And that proved to be the difference in the end.””

Westwood would still like to put his name on a major trophy. He’s worked hard to put the unpleasantries of the last year behind him, resettling back home in England after a three-year stay in Florida. He took a six-week break after two missed cuts in the Middle East to start 2016 and will come to Augusta after a couple of tune-ups with a refreshed mindset.

“I’m going through a divorce and found it nearly impossible to concentrate on golf, so I understand what happened in terms of my results last year,” he told ESPN. “How I played didn’t really concern me, but now I’m back living in the UK permanently and trying to factor in when I see my kids and which events I play around that.

“I just want to get some consistency back in game and start to enjoy it again and being able to concentrate on what I’m trying to do.”

Approaching 43 at the end of April, Westwood believes he still has the strength from his diligent gym work to compete with a gifted new generation of world-class golfers.

“If you believe you are fit enough and good enough to compete with the younger players, then you can,” he said.