AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Lee Westwood, the seventh-ranked golfer in the world, hopes that a little experience -- and less practice -- at Augusta National will carry him a long way in this week's Masters.
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| Lee Westwood finished 12-over in The Masters last year. |
The 25-year-old Englishman, who has broken par just once in eight rounds in The Masters, said on Tuesday that he learned a lot playing in the last two tournaments despite finishing tied for 24th in his debut and 44th last year.
"I'm going to be ready for the tournament this time," said Westwood, a six-year professional. "That first Masters, I'd been here since Friday. I played the 12th hole I don't know how many times.
"This year I'm going into it only playing nine holes a day in practice," he added. "A couple of years ago I had played 72 holes by this time. I wore myself out doing my preparation."
Westwood, whose first memory of golf was watching Jack Nicklaus on television win his record sixth Masters in 1986, said he was much more confident going into this year's tournament because of what he learned in the last two.
"Just the experience of having played eight rounds here competitively is good for me," he said. "It makes me feel a little more comfortable this year."
Westwood also said that despite a light playing schedule due to his marriage this year he felt his game was "fairly strong" at the moment.
He admitted that chipping and putting were the weakest parts of his repertoire and he has been working on them recently -- knowing how important they are at Augusta.
"I work on my short game all the time, to be honest," he said. "I know it's something that lets me down every now and again."
Westwood just hopes that it won't let him down here.
"I'm looking to start winning tournaments from this week on," he said.
