Easy-going Westwood Bounces Back

It's only a game, folks. Yet it has not seemed that way as senior sportswriters have displayed an almost pathological loathing of Captain Faldo. If anyone had real cause for anger with the world and animosity towards Euope's Ryder Cup captain it would be Lee Westwood. Yet speaking at The Belfry, having shot a fine 68 in the opening round of the British Masters, he could hardly have been more relaxed.

Westwood had overcome any disappointment he might have felt on the Sunday night by, in the traditional manner, having a drink. 'Actually I instigated it,' he said. 'I like to see everyone getting together. At Bay Hill, after I had lost to Ernie [Els], Arnold Palmer walked in and said, "This is what golf should be: two guys battling it out and having a beer afterwards."

'So we went to their team room and sat down and talked about it and called each other a few names. And then their bar shut so we went to our bar and kept going.'

Westwood was soon back in sporting action, but this time with Phil Mickelson as a team-mate, in competition with Sergio García and Oliver Wilson. 'I played table tennis with Phil against Sergio and Oliver. Phil got a little bit upset because I kept hitting the wrong ball out of the three I was seeing. When the sun came up [a good 12 hours after the last putt had been sunk], Boo, obviously, was still there and Justin Leonard and Jim [Furyk].'

Such indulgence could be justified, for the Europeans had not tossed away the Cup - rather the Americans had wrested it from them. 'I thought I did play well,' said Westwood, who scored only one point from four matches. 'I was four under when I lost on Sunday. You can't do anything if the other guy plays better and Ben [Curtis] played well. I don't think Europe played particularly poorly, we just got outplayed.'

Among the Americans who most impressed him were Weekley - 'I didn't realize he was as good as he was' and JB Holmes - 'more of a player than just a boomer.'

'It may be just me forgetting, but even at Valderrama and Brookline I can't remember the standard of golf being so high,' said Westwood. 'There were an unbelievable amount of good shots. With the key shot being Steve Stricker's on Saturday night against Paul [Casey] and Sergio, that's why he's the best putter on the US Tour.'

Westwood has played under more captains than any other Ryder Cup player so is well placed to assess their contributions. 'I have played under six captains and taken bits from every one.' Asked what he had learned from Faldo he said: 'Just some of the things he said and not being afraid to stick rookies into the foursomes, that was a brave move.'

A gracious comment given that the rookies' presence ensured his absence, a decision that apparently was communicated to him as he stood on the 10th tee the night before. Westwood sort of denied this, saying: 'It's not really of any consequence where I was told. I'm going to be disappointed wherever it happened because I've never been left out before, of course I'm going to be unhappy.'

He weighed in behind Woosie to be the next captain ('it's a big bonus being Welsh) or Sandy Lyle ('he's a great fella').

Asked how he now felt he said: 'You just put last week into a box and file it away.' Perhaps Faldo should do the same with the press clippings.

Out on the course at The Belfry, the public was marginally in Faldo's favor. 'In retrospect his wild cards were just about right,' said Dave Henson from Bournemouth. 'His ordering was just about right. It's just the putts didn't go down. If Sergio had won his singles it might have been different, but [Anthony] Kim couldn't miss.'

'Before it even started they had it in for Faldo,' said Alexander Massey from Southampton. As we talked, Colin Montgomerie duffed another shot wide on his way to an 81: 'You have to say Faldo got it right with Monty.'

Not everyone agreed. Specifically, Christina Milner, who was wearing a T-shirt with 'Tha No Thee is a Great Bloke. Nay Ryder Cup was a Joke!' written upon it in honor of the Great Scotsman. 'Faldo was in it for himself rather than the team,' she said. 'There was no team spirit, no fist-pumping.'

Meanwhile, a man wearing a 'Who's Your Caddy?' T-shirt sat on the fence. Asked if he was pro or anti Faldo he repeatedly replied: 'Who's your caddy?' Not a bad catchphrase.

Late start for Lee

Defending champion Lee Westwood, much to the annoyance of the 'raging' promoter and BBC Television, had to wait until 4.05pm to resume the Quinn Insurance British Masters at The Belfry.

And Westwood was hardly in the best of moods when he then bogeyed his first three holes and dropped from joint leader to joint 14th in the fog-delayed event.

Holing a bunker shot for an eagle three and then making a 20ft birdie putt re-ignited his bid, though, and when play ended for the day the Ryder Cup star was one behind joint leaders Mikael Lundberg, Alejandro Canizares and Michael Campbell.

'It wasn't the easiest way to start a round but I got my reward for being patient,' said Westwood.