Lee Westwood: Done in the Ryder Cup?

A stalwart of seven Ryder Cup matches since his debut at Valderrama in 1997, Lee Westwood has a big few months ahead of him if he wants to play in an eighth at Gleneagles this September.

Without a win anywhere in the world since June 2012, the Englishman will know that he needs to find his best form fast if he is to force his way into captain Paul McGinley’s side, or risk watching the action from Perthshire unfold on TV.

The facts don’t make particularly pleasant reading for the Worksop man at the moment.

He’s currently sitting 36th on the European Points List, from which the top four players at the end of the BMW Italian Open will qualify automatically for the team, whilst he’s currently 33rd on the World Points List, from which five more players will make the team.

In short? He’s nowhere near the side.

There’s no doubt this will be a worry for McGinley. In his appearances in the match, Westwood has hardly missed a session. He has won 21 points from a possible 37, including 18 wins. When it comes to the Ryder Cup, he has been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt. And in the cauldron of the Ryder Cup, that kind of experience means a helluva lot.

But unless he can find some of his best form, starting right now, the 40-year-old may well have already played in his final match.

Too many players have stolen a march on him for this year. The likes of Victor Dubuisson, Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter appear to have all but nailed down their places in the side.

There’s no question, all is not right with Lee Westwood‘s game at the moment

As it stands, Westwood could find himself in a dog-fight for one of McGinley’s three wildcards – and that’s expected to be a very competitive struggle.

As well as Westwood, others with Ryder Cup pedigree – such as Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, and Francesco Molinari – still have a lot of work to do to force their way into the team. And with a batch of would-be rookies (Joost Luiten, Jamie Donaldson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano etc) all ahead of them in the standings at present, you get the feeling that at least one high-profile past-competitor is going to have to sit this one out.

Sadly, that could well be Lee Westwood. Having been world No.1 not that long ago, he’s now ranked 35th in the world. The best he has managed in seven PGA Tour starts this season is a tie for 16th. On the European Tour, meanwhile, a tie for fifth at the DP World Tour Championship in November is his best finish going back to last year’s Open Championship.

Recent attempts to rebuild his swing with Tiger Woods’ swing coach Sean Foley came to a quick and abrupt halt.

There’s no question, all is not right with Westie’s game at the moment. But when it’s on, it’s the kind of game you’d want in the Ryder Cup every single time. Gritty, unflappable, tough, and dependable – he has all the qualities, even if they’re not all to the fore at the moment.

There’s a lot of golf to be played between now and Gleneagles. For Westwood’s sake, and Europe’s, let’s just hope he can take advantage of that.

Will Lee Westwood play in this year’s Ryder Cup?

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor