Westwood takes a break
After five missed cuts in a row – three in American, two in Europe – Lee Westwood has pulled out of this week’s Memorial tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
But it does not mean the former European number one is now available for the US Open qualifier at Walton Heath next Monday.
He is still planning to do some promotional work for watch company Audemars Piguet, one of his sponsors, in the States on the same day and will now fly there at the weekend.
Westwood needed a top five finish at last week’s BMW Championship at Wentworth to climb into the world’s top 50, but he is instead down to 55th after rounds of 75 and 74 continued a miserable run starting at the Masters last month.
The Worksop golfer is only 95th on the Order of Merit and 83rd on the US money list, two fifth place finishes there coming back in February and March.
He is also down in 35th place in the Ryder Cup race.
Wentworth winner David Howell and Paul Casey – first and second on the Order of Merit – are competing in America this week, as are Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Greg Owen, Justin Rose and Jose Maria Olazabal.
