"It gave me a big boost, a big shot of confidence," he said. He narrowly missed out on playoffs at the 2008 U.S. Open and the 2009 British Open. Westwood credited his stellar play in the final round at Augusta " when he shot 3-under 69 " as proof he could still compete on the biggest stage. Avoiding the big-time trouble that befuddled some of the bold-faced names in the field during the opening round of the stop and start U.S. Open, Westwood posted a 3-under 67 to finish one shot behind unknown Andrew Landry. Westwood tied for second behind fellow countryman Danny Willett at the Masters in April, the latest in a series of close calls in golf's marquee events.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 17, 2016 15:56 UTC