|
Golf: Westwood is
2 shot off against Singh
England's Lee
Westwood is two shots off the lead of Vijay Singh after the second
round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, Ohio.
Westwood fired a 65 to join a group on five under par, one shot
adrift of Phil Mickelson, who carded a 66, the same as 45-year-old
Fijian Singh.
Westwood said he was confident after his tied-third finish at the US
Open.
"It's not going to get any more pressurised than playing in the last
round of the US Open," he said.
"I have tried to carry on the confidence that I built up here into
this event."
The 35-year-old started the day four strokes off the pace but
birdies at the first two holes set the tone for his second-round
charge on a course on which he has previously fired a 63.
"The first holes were nice and painless," the former world number
four said. "I hit a driver and wedge to about 12 inches at the 10th,
which was my first hole, and then driver, wedge to about eight
inches on 11.
"It doesn't get much easier than that to start a round. My overall
game tee to green was very good."
Singh revealed that Greg Norman's success at the Open Championship
had given him the inspiration to continue striving late into his
career.
The three-time major winner is just five years away from the senior
tour and eight years younger than former world number one Norman,
who finished in a tie for third at Royal Birkdale.
"I was pulling for him," Singh said. "It's one of those tournaments
where you don't think how young, how old you are, you just kind of
manage to get through those conditions. That's why he played that
well."
"I talked to a lot of senior golfers that were at TPC that week, and
they were all excited about it," he said.
"They said it gives all the guys hope that they can go out there and
still do it.
"In that respect I think it was good for all the Senior Tour players
and obviously the older generation guys, myself, Kenny Perry and
those guys, that you can still compete past 50."
Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington carded a second-round 75
that left him at four over for the tournament and he admitted his
focus was now on next week's USPGA at Oakland Hills near Detroit.
"It's all about next week now," Harrington said. "It's all about
getting my chipping right out of the rough, going to do a bit of
practise on that, and just getting myself into the mindset for next
week.
"So I'm happy about having another two rounds, opportunities for
that, but as far as that I'm not going to overdo things. There's no
question I'm suffering a bit with fatigue."
Harrington admits that winning the Open has taken its toll on his
game but Birkdale runner-up Ian Poulter said he was still on a high.
"No, I'm not flat, I'm buzzing," Poulter said following a
second-round 68 that leaves him at two under par.”
|
