• WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Westwood encouraged by putting changes

Lee Westwood's putting has long caused him woe © Getty Images

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Lee Westwood is increasingly confident with the changes he is making to his putting routine, after an opening round 67 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Westwood has been happy to concede that his form on the greens has not been up to the required standard in recent months and, after missing the cut at the Open Championship following two rounds of sub-standard putting, has spent the weeks since aggressively trying to address the issue.

Working with both putting guru Dave Stockton - the man credited with remodelling Rory McIlroy's putting ahead of his US Open win - and mental coach Dr Bob Rotella, who was publicly thanked by Darren Clarke after his Open success, Westwood is confident some of both men's insight is beginning to rub off on him after a solid start at Firestone CC.

"I played well and rolled it nicely on the greens as well, so I'm pleased with everything," Westwood said. "A 67 is never anything to complain about around this golf course, even when there's not much wind and it's playing soft.

"I worked with Dave and his son Dave Jr. on Monday and a little bit on Tuesday, but not much because they gave me quite a bit to think about on Monday!

"It's just a case of trying to work through it and pick out the bits that I could incorporate in my stroke and my routine."

Westwood only had 27 putts during his opening round on Thursday, an indication that the changes are already beginning to have an effect, although he admitted that not everything has become second nature just yet.

"I feel like it freed my stroke a little bit and got the ball rolling on the line I had picked a few times," he noted. "The worse you putt, the more you start to analyze it, the more technical you can get and the more cluttered your brain gets, and that's not the ideal way to putt.

"You just want to putt like a 14-year-old really, just stand over it and roll it in the hole.

"It's really hard [changing the routine]. I catch myself a few times out there where I had to stand off it because I had taken too long over it.

"It's actually in the back of your mind that you shouldn't hit it, so I stepped off it and started all over again. I got it right most of the time. It's just a case of practising it."

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