Lee Westwood entered Sunday’s final round at the British Open in an unfamiliar place: as the 54-hole leader. He left Muirfield in a more familiar position: as a top-five finisher, though not a winner, at a major championship.
Westwood shot a 4-over 75 Sunday to finish four strokes back of Phil Mickelson, who captured his first ever British Open championship.
After starting the final round as the sole leader by two strokes, Westwood stumbled early and couldn’t get himself back on track, making just one birdie against five bogeys.”I didn’t really play well enough today. I didn’t play badly, but I didn’t play great,” Westwood said. “It’s a tough golf course, and you’ve got to have your A game.”
A major championship continues to be just beyond Westwood’s reach. He finished in the top five of a major for the sixth time in his career.
And as much as Westwood would dismiss the notion, he certainly sounded like a man content with yet another failure at a major championship.
“I’m not too disappointed,” he said. “I don’t really get disappointed with golf anymore. … I’m a philosophical person. It just doesn’t wind me up or get to me anymore.”
