SANDWICH, England — Lee Westwood was full of bluster and confidence on the eve of the British Open. He said he had the patience to conquer Royal St. George’s and win that elusive first major.
By Friday, he was gone.
A second-round 73 sent a frustrated and irritable Westwood tumbling out of the tournament at 4-over-par, a stroke below the cut.
The second-ranked Englishman wasn’t the only big name out before the weekend. Top- ranked Luke Donald hit the exits. The only crumb of comfort for Donald, who bogeyed his last four holes for an uncharacteristically sloppy 75, is that he’s assured of retaining his No. 1 ranking next week.
That’s because Westwood followed him out of Sandwich.
Home fires.
Perhaps one reason Darren Clarke is having his best British Open in a decade is his move back home to Northern Ireland, mainly for his two sons and their schooling.
“The right time for Tyrone, my first born, to be with everybody else,” said Clarke, whose wife died of cancer in 2006. “It’s a lot easier to play better whenever family life and stuff at home is much better, much more stable again.”
The other perk?
Returning to Royal Port- rush, the only links course outside Britain to host the Open Championship. It’s where Clarke grew up, learning to cope with strong wind and harsh weather.
“I’ve been doing a lot of practicing in bad weather because that’s usually what we get at Portrush,” he said. “It’s a case of getting used to playing in bad weather on links again, and that’s what I’ve been doing all over the winter.”
