Westwood frustrated over cracked driver

Dubai : Lee Westwood claims to be back in the swing of things after admitting to sorting out the driver issues that let him down at last week's Commercial bank Qatar Masters.

Westwood was forced to play with a spare driver after cracking his first-choice club during the third round in Doha. The change left him with a dent in his game and Westwood ended up bogeying the 16th and missed birdie putts on the last two holes to eventually finish tied third, behind winner Robert Karlsson and second-placed Alvaro Quiros.

Opportunity

Being placed third in Doha also denied Westwood the chance to climb to No 3 in the world, which would have been his highest position in the world rankings. And the Race to Dubai champion admitted he was furious and frustrated to "suddenly see one of your strongest weapons being taken out of your bag".

"I thought that was a great week, it was a combination of getting my irons sorted out. I was very pleased with those and then the driver smashed up on the Saturday afternoon on a course that was set up perfect for me. Being a straight driver is a big advantage there, and suddenly one of your strongest weapons is taken out of your bag," said Westwood, who is one of the favourites at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The 36 year old said he has been working closely with a group from golf club manufacturers PING to get his driver problems sorted out. "I have been inundated with PING drivers the last couple of days, they are obviously very keen to help me and they sent out a couple of people and a few drivers, so I think we're gradually getting it sorted. I've got three or four I can choose from now and I need to pick the best one," Westwood said.

Well-known for his long and straight hitting, Westwood says he has put in a lot of hard work on getting his short game in shape as well.

"I think around any golf course, long, straight driving is an asset, but I feel like my short game has nearly clicked into place to where it was at the end of last year. My iron play feels good and I feel my distance control is very good with this new set of irons."

Westwood says he is looking forward to a repeat of the luck and good form that helped him triumph at the $7.5 million Dubai World Championship, the event that helped him win the 2009 Money List.

"There are no secrets, I just go out and enjoy myself. It [Dubai] is somewhere I always enjoy coming — it's a good golf course; the greens are in good condition as I've ever seen it.

Wet forecast

"I think there's rain forecast for Friday or Saturday, but if it's going to be hot like this for a couple of days and a breeze coming it should dry out pretty quickly, which is good."

Westwood is expecting the competition for spots in Europe's Ryder Cup to heat up with most of the players showing good form. "It's eight months away, but it's still nice to see so many European Tour players at the top of the World Rankings. Shows that we are going to have a strong side and that we've got lots of world class players and ones that are due to come up."