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I must sort out my putting - Westwood

Poor putting has cost Lee Westwood dear in recent times © Getty Images

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Lee Westwood has admitted his putting is a concern and says he must improve on the greens if he is to break his major duck at next month's US PGA Championship.

Poor form with the short stick was a key factor in the world No. 2 missing the cut at the Open earlier this month, and the 38-year-old, who went to a belly putter in April before switching back to a short one, realises he must rectify his wayward putting stroke before the final major of the year in Atlanta.

"The near future's all about getting my putting sorted out and playing well next week in Akron (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational)," he said. That's a course I enjoy and if I keep hitting the ball as well as I have been I'm going to have a lot of birdie chances, but I need to start making a few of them now.

"I'm not sure if anyone's ever led the greens in regulation after two rounds of The Open and missed the cut. It's frustrating because even when I've had good weeks this season there's only been a couple of good putting rounds rather than four.

"I'm trying to sort it out at the moment with my dad and with Pete (coach Pete Cowen). We've tossed around a few ideas and I'm working on a few different things."

Darren Clarke became manager Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler's third major champion when he won at Sandwich - following Charl Schwartzel's success at the Masters and Rory McIlroy's triumph at the US Open - and should Westwood land a first major title next month Chandler will secure a so-called 'Chubby Slam'. Westwood, however, is refusing to let any extra incentives put additional pressure on him, preferring instead to look at the positives of Clarke's accomplishment by insisting he has time on his side.

"If the year was all about Atlanta now I'd been putting too much pressure on myself," he said. "I don't really compare myself to anybody else and it's not something that particularly bothers me. Obviously somebody winning who's nearly 43, that's five years away and it's a way of not putting pressure on yourself."

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