Lee Westwood Takes Up Defense At The Maybank Malaysian Open

Aug 21, 2014; Paramus, NJ, USA; Lee Westwood tees off on the 17th hole during the first round of The Barclays golf tournament at Ridgewood Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The European Tour has finished up the 2015 Desert Swing, and begins a month of hopping around the globe during February. First stop is the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club for the Maybank Malaysian Open. Forty-one year-old Lee Westwood ran away from the field in his last win on any tour, and will be you’re defending champion when they take to the first tee on Thursday.

The former world’s number one fired 65-66 in the first two rounds, and held on for a seven-shot victory over big-hitting Belgian, Nicolas Colsearts, 2010 Open Champ, Louis Oosthuizen, and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.

More from European tour

Westwood finished at 18 under par for his 23rd win on the European Tour, in an event that is co-sanctioned by the European Tour, and The Asian Tour.

"“The way I played here last year and to win by seven was very satisfying,” he said. “I also won by a lot in Thailand a couple of years ago. I was 20 under for the first two rounds. That was just great golf. That was probably the most satisfying scoring-wise, because I shot 60 on the first day.“I played very well in the first two rounds here and I think I was 13 under par. So I built a big lead that was always going to take some catching. I’m a pretty good frontrunner and nobody came out of the pack at me."

The CIMB Classic is a PGA Tour event that is played on the same golf course each fall, and Westwood scored a T13 finish back in early November in a tournament where Ryan Moore won handily.

Lee got off to a good start, shooting a seven under 65 on Friday, but the even par start, and the two over 74 on Saturday kept him off the first page of the leaderboard.

"“I was only here just before Christmas for the PGA Tour event, so I feel like I’m really getting to know the golf course very well. I feel like a member!”"

Westwood got his 2015 European Tour season started last week, at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He got in the mix, shooting 65-68 in the opening rounds. Like everyone, he struggled on Saturday, but managed a three under 69 to stay with the leaders.

Sunday proved to be a different story. He got off to a nice start, with three early birdies, but a double bogey at the ninth hole, and a couple of bogeys down the stretch took the wind out of his sails, and moved him down the leaderboard. He finished his first event in a tie for ninth.

"“Last week was very good considering it was my first event of the year,” he said. “I got off to a good start with a 65 in the first round, but I was a bit unlucky on the greens over the next three days.“On Sunday I made a good start – I was three under through five – but let it slip a little bit and had a double bogey on the ninth. That wasn’t great. A top ten in the first tournament of the year is pretty good though. I’ll take that."

Lee Westwood is originally from Worksop Nottinghamshire, England, but moved to Palm Beach, Florida during the break after the 2013 season. He wanted to have good weather where he could work on his game, and at his age, maybe make a run in one of the majors that have eluded him for the entirety of his career.

Westwood has 41 professional wins on his résumé, but only two victories on the PGA Tour, and two second-place finishes in the majors. 2010 was one of his better years, and saw him wining his last PGA Tour event at the St. Jude Classic. He also finished runner-up in The Masters that year, and second to Louis Oosthuizen in the Open Championship at St Andrews.

He has finished third at the 2008, 2011 US Opens, and the 2009 PGA Championship.

Next: January and The Desert Swing Are A Wrap

Home/European tour