Lee Westwood warms up for US Open with five-shot win in Nordea Masters

Lee Westwood warms up for US Open with five-shot win in Nordea Masters

The world No3 came under pressure from Sergio García as the Spaniard put together six consecutive birdies, but an eagle on the par-five 12th and a birdie at the 15th saw Westwood home.
Driver Ping G20 Another Englishman, Ross Fisher, was second on 14 under after a 71 while García, who closed with a 67, finished on 13 under in a tie for third with Finland's Mikko Ilonen and Sweden's Peter Hanson.
It was Westwood's third Nordea Masters title and the perfect preparation for next week's US Open and his bid to claim a first major title.
Westwood did miss five putts from inside six feet over the first 10 holes of his final round, however. Série de fers R11 But only one of them resulted in a bogey, which was a clear indication of how impressive he has been from tee to green this week.
Westwood recorded his first European Tour victory at the event in 1996 and he won it again in 2000 en route to becoming European No1 for the first time.
"It feels really special winning here another time - I've won it in three decades now which just shows how old we're getting," Westwood said. "I played really well this week – you don't win tournaments by five shots without playing well."
Driver Ping K15 Westwood's victory, his 40th as a professional, could have been even more comprehensive had he not missed close-range birdie putts on the 4th, 8th, 9th and 10th. He also missed a four-foot par putt on the 6th. At that stage Fisher and Hanson had moved to within two strokes.
But Westwood found his groove on the back nine. "I missed a few short putts on the front nine, had a lot of chances the first 10 holes and could have really put some breathing space between me and the field," Westwood told Europeantour.com.
"Having said that, when I needed to on the back nine – when they got a bit closer and put me under a bit of pressure - I managed to make a great eagle at 12, good birdie at 15 and pull away."
Fisher's challenge effectively ended when he double-bogeyed the 13th after finding the water, although he recovered well with three birdies.