Westwood ahead of Tiger in China
SHANGHAI, China — Lee Westwood didn't feel as though he had to prove why he was No. 1 in the world. With one quality shot after another today in the HSBC Champions, he sure served up a reminder.
Westwood closed with two strong birdies for a 6-under 66, leaving him one shot behind Ryder Cup teammate Francesco Molinari in pristine weather at Sheshan International.
Tiger Woods, no longer No. 1 for the first time in more than five years, made one improbable par and three straight birdies on his way to a 68 that left him very much in the mix of this World Golf Championship.
The surprise, to some degree, was Westwood.
It was only his second stroke-play competition in three months, and only his second round of golf since Oct. 10. His mistake wasn't even his own doing, as he found a clump of mud on his ball in the seventh fairway, leading to a bogey.
Otherwise, it was the kind of round expected from the world's No. 1 player.
"I don't think I need to reinforce why I'm No. 1 in the world," Westwood said.
Luke Donald of England joined Woods at 68, while defending champion Phil Mickelson had a 69.
Westwood, Woods, Kaymer and Mickelson all can go to No. 1 in the world this week.
Perhaps most inspiring for Woods is that he was coming off his longest layoff — four weeks — since he returned to golf at the Masters. It looked as though he had never left. In his previous competition, Woods was 9 under through 15 holes in his victory over Molinari in Ryder Cup singles at Celtic Manor.
"I hit a lot of good golf shots," Woods said. "I felt like I was able to control my distance well coming into the greens, and also putted really well today."
