Lee Westwood and Tiger Woods began their golfing careers almost at the same time. The British golfer turned pro in 1993, and Woods in 1996, and the two golfers competed against each other on many occasions, including various Ryder Cups.
However, Westwood has all good things to say about Woods as a golfer. The British golfer, while speaking on 'The Rough Cut Golf Podcast', disclosed the secret behind Woods' success on the golf course. (44:50-45:57)
" I played with him a lot and. So I didn't really get the intimidation factor of it all, but you could certainly see some people get intimidated by him," said Westwood.
In addition, the 51-year-old golfer claimed to have witnessed Woods hit some unbelievable putters that nobody else could match.
"I remember one a three wood at in Detroit in a Ryder cup on the second. I think it was a big, high slice to about 4 feet. It was an amazing shot, and you just couldn't see anybody else in that shot."
Additionally, he said the most impressive thing about Woods was the fact that he could make putts whenever he wanted and keep the momentum to himself.
"I think it was an incredible stat one year at Acron where he was something stupid, like 52 of 52 inside 15 feet on the greens. I mean, just bunkers to never miss inside 15 ft on them greens."
Woods dominated the majority of the late 90s and early 2000s, while Lee Westwood mostly competed on the European Tour. Woods remained World No. 1 for 281 consecutive weeks, from June 2005 to October 2010. However, in 2010, Westwood became the first golfer to overtake Woods and become the top golfer in the world.
How has Tiger Woods' performance been in the last few years?
Tiger Woods is considered by many to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He has been dominating the sport for over two decades. Although he hasn't been competing regularly because of injuries, Woods is still one of the top personalities in golf.
However, Tiger Woods' performance in the last few years has dropped significantly due to a car crash that he suffered in 2021. The 48-year-old golfer is yet to recover completely, but he is trying to compete and give his best in the Major Championships.
Woods has competed in 6 majors since the crash, and his best came at Masters in 2022, where he finished 47th. In 2024, he finished 60th at Augusta and missed the cut at the PGA Championship.
Apart from majors, Woods has competed only in a couple of PGA Tour events. Those PGA Tour events are 'The Genesis Invitational' and 'The Hero World Championship' which are hosted by Woods himself.
Even though Woods had not qualified for the 2024 US Open, the USGA has given him a special exemption to compete. Hence, the 15-time Major Championship winner will compete in the upcoming 2024 US Open from June 13th at Pinehurst No. 2.