Lee Westwood chases down Sergio Garcia for Nedbank victory

Lee Westwood began Sunday at the Nedbank Golf Challenge trailing Sergio Garcia by three. He closed Sunday with a flawless round – and his first victory in over four years.

Lee Westwood is one of those golfers who’s just hard not to cheer for. He’s a European icon, to be sure. Westwood has played in ten Ryder Cups, and won the Order of Merit (now the Race to Dubai) twice. He entered Sunday tied for the eighth-most European Tour wins of all-time, with 23. Over the course of more than two decades, there are few accolades he hasn’t held, save for a major championship.

As an American fan myself, I identify more with the “what could have been” aspect of Westwood’s career. He’s been an amazing talent, a number one player in the world, but that never-ending hunt for a major is endearing. For most of the last ten years, he’s come thisclose to earning the prized green jacket, only to fall just a bit short. It’s a story that translates across borders and generations.

While nobody is going to confuse the Nedbank Golf Challenge for the Masters, Westwood’s comeback victory on Sunday is still one that golf fans everywhere should be happy to see.

The 45-year-old has wins on five continents, but his last major tour victory came on April 20, 2014 at the Maybank Malaysian Open. That’s a difference of 1,666 days, which in your 40s might feel like a door slamming shut on the better part of your career. But still he persevered, even if he might have been the only one who truly believed he could win again.

Heading into Sunday at Sun City, Westwood had a three-shot gap between himself and Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard led after each of the first three rounds, seemingly a lifetime removed from an awful 2018 season on the PGA TOUR. No small task, regardless of who was chasing.

More from Pro Golf Now

But that’s the great thing about golf; you go out and post your number, and the chips will fall where they may. And Westwood couldn’t have asked to post a better number. The second hole is a 569-yard par-5, which Westwood had gone birdie-bogey-par on through the first three rounds. On Sunday, he got home in three for eagle, taking at decent chunk out of his deficit early on.

A birdie on No. 8 moved Westwood to three-under for the round, and the race truly began on the back nine. The veteran made birdies on Nos. 11, 13, 14, 16 and 17 to get to -8 on the day. Suddenly, the underdog was the clear favorite.

By the end, only two players – Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen – had any chance to catch up. Oosthuizen, playing a home game of sorts, played his final four holes in three-over, including a double bogey on the 18th to seal his own fate. Garcia made just a single bogey on the day – on the first hole – but he made just three birdies, and none in his final six holes.

The pressure lifted off of Westwood’s shoulders was obvious. “I’m a little emotional, to be honest,” Westwood said. “You’re never sure you’re going to be able to do it again, and I was able to.”

Next. Matt Kuchar breaks drought at Mayakoba Golf Classic. dark

By no means do I think that Lee Westwood is done competing at a high level. His win on Sunday moved him into 16th place in the Race to Dubai standings, with just the DP World Tour Championship remaining. He will not win another season championship this year, but there are worse things than heading into a long holiday break with an abundance of confidence.

I’m not about to make Westwood my Masters favorite or anything, five months early and after one lone victory. But after four years of hard work, seeing both ends of golf’s highs and lows, Westwood deserves to back in this one for a little while. Here’s hoping it isn’t the last time he gets to visit the winner’s circle.

Home/European tour