Westwood nears perfection with ball-striking brilliance
The defending champion was invariably in the middle of the fairway off the tee and his iron-play was also magnificent, just about every approach finishing pin-high. Westwood’s putter grew hotter and hotter to ensure he did not waste the plethora of scoring chances he gave himself.
And so the Englishman goes into the final round on 16-under-par. Robert Karlsson and Graeme McDowell are tied for second on nine-under, with Jason Dufner and Martin Kaymer on eight-under.
Westwood’s fun started on the second hole with a comfortable birdie, and it set the tone for an imperious display on the par-fives by the world number three. He birdied all four of them and they set the ball rolling for the three sets of three successive birdies he achieved on South Africa’s number one-ranked course.
The first hat-trick was between the second and fourth holes as the 38-year-old struck a beautiful approach shot seven feet from the flag on the par-four third and then a wonderful tee shot to six feet on the par-three fourth.
The lead was his as he overtook McDowell, before the action was stopped for 90 minutes due to a thunderstorm. But that was actuallly the calm before the real storm as the former world number one then embarked on the second birdie-spree of his round as he reached the turn.
Another marvellous approach shot left him 10 feet from the flag on the par-five ninth, and his eagle putt looked on the road to the hole before lipping out. Further birdies at 10 and 11 meant Westwood was two ahead, his ostensible chasers being reduced to supporting acts as he brought the famous course to its knees.
Westwood is perhaps the best in the world off the tees and his magnificent driving set up further birdies at the 14th, 15th and 17th holes, while a birdie at the par-three 16th made it four in a row.
He came to the 18th needing a birdie to match Padraig Harrington’s placing-assisted round of 61 in 2001 and his approach shot went on to the fringe. With memories of his chip-in at the same hole in last year’s final round still fresh, Westwood’s chip was on line for the cup but pulled up short.
But the par was enough as Westwood left the course to a standing ovation.
Karlsson’s third successive 69 was left as an afterthought by Westwood’s brilliance, but it too was a fine round, marred only by successive bogeys at the 11th and 12th holes, where he hit his tee-shot in the bunker and was unable to get up and down.
It was overnight leader McDowell who actually stuck to Westwood’s coat-tails the best and he trailled by four with four holes to play.
It was a poor decision in terms of course management that proved a major blow to McDowell, leading to a double-bogey six at the 17th.
The Northern Irishman’s drive was into the fairway bunker and the ball was lying near the front lip. The green, with the water lurking so dangerously, was 153 metres away, so his decision to go for it was foolhardy.
McDowell’s second shot caught the lip and barely cleared the bunker, leaving him with a lengthy third shot, which he promptly deposited in the greenside bunker. A 25-foot bogey putt shaved the hole and the 2010 U.S. Open champion left with a double-bogey and a seven-shot deficit.
Dufner produced some top-class iron-play, but for a third straight day, the American suffered with a cold putter and had to settle for a 70 that included just one bogey, on the last.
Charl Schwartzel looked to be in the mood to make a charge himself as he completed the front nine in three-under-par, but he left an eagle-putt five feet short on the 10th. The South African then plonked his second on the par-four 11th into the greenside bunker and made bogey after a plugged lie. Schwartzel’s 68 was a good round, but well short of what was required to trouble Westwood.
In the Nedbank Senior Challenge, Mark Calcavecchia fired an impressive five-under-par 67 to claim the title by one stroke as both Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam left birdie putts on the 18th a foot from the hole.