LEE Westwood is two events away from doing something never previously achieved on the European Tour – winning the Order of Merit without winning a tournament.
Just a month after Oliver Wilson became the first player to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup without first lifting a title, Westwood goes into the Portugal Masters third on the Order of Merit with more than £1.7 million.
Those are the sort of ric
hes on offer on the circuit now even in a season when he has had 12 top-ten finishes, but not a single win.
Victory at the Victoria Club in Vilamoura is worth almost £400,000 and could take him ahead of both Robert Karlsson and Padraig Harrington, with only the Volvo Masters to come.
But even second place on Sunday might bring him on to the Swede's heels and set up a showdown at Valderrama in two weeks' time.
Westwood, who has decided not to play next week's Castellon Masters in Spain, is not allowing the lack of a victory to cloud the progress he feels he has made.
"I think it's been a great year," he said. "It's the first time I could have won a major (he was a shot away from the US Open play-off].
"It's a fine line between winning and finishing second and third. I could quite easily be sitting here with four, five, six wins this year."
Harrington was one, of course, who experienced a long period like Westwood has been having of late – and look at him now.
"Padraig has got a couple of years on me, and I'm building up experience all the time," added the 35-year-old. "I feel like sooner or later I ought to win a major championship."
Part of the reason that Westwood has pulled out next week is because he is having his tonsils out next month.
"I figured if I played three weeks in a row I would get run down. I've got a little cold. I'm more likely to play well in the Volvo Masters, having another week off before."
Westwood has been paired with Karlsson and Miguel Angel Jimenez for the opening two rounds, while Colin Montgomerie tees off with fellow Ryder Cup absentee Darren Clarke.
Harrington, meanwhile, is over in Bermuda this week and is tied with Jim Furyk for the lead after Tuesday's opening round of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
Harrington birdied three of the last five holes, while Furyk carded a birdie at 18 to cap a two-under-par 68 in blustery conditions at The Mid Ocean Club.
The full article contains 442 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
