Lee Westwood is hoping to break his major hoodoo at the USPGA this week and says his straight driving could be the key to success.
The 40-year-old is still looking to win his first major and was in with a great shout at the Open Championship last month before Phil Mickelson came through the field to win his first Claret Jug.
Westwood held a two-shot lead going into the final round at Muirfield, but he has put his failure to convert the advantage into a win behind him and is now targeting glory at Oak Hill this week.
Westwood was disappointing when finishing tied for 40th as Tiger Woods won the WGC Invitaional last week, although the Englishman is still happy with his form going into the USPGA and fancies his chances.
“If you’re a good driver of the golf ball, then you can gain a big advantage,” he said. “You can hit the driver a lot.
“I think there’s some holes where people that maybe aren’t so straight with drivers are going to be hitting an iron off the tee and probably going in with a five or six iron, but if you drive it well you are going to be going in with a nine iron or wedge and having a massive advantage.
“I’ve been hitting the ball pretty solidly. I played nicely tee to green last week, certainly better than even the week before at the Open. So I think it’s all coming together and it’s a good time to start playing well.”
Westwood also says his putting has improved dramatically since he started working with former Open champion Ian Baker-Finch and confidence is high following his performance at the Open Championship.
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