"I played well all week, but I felt like it was one that got away," said Lee Westwood at the Farmers Insurance Open Media Center on Tuesday.
The Englishman was referring to his near miss at the 2008 U.S. Open played at Torrey Pines. Westwood, widely regarded as the best player in the world not to have won a major, had a terrific chance that Sunday. Had he made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, Westwood would have gotten him into a playoff with Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. The putt went wide right. Westwood settled for third place and hasn't been back since.
The 40-year old still thinks a mistake earlier in the final round cost him the tournament. "I was going for it in two and I made six," remembers Westwood about the par 5 13th hole. "I made a mental error. I should have laid up and tried to make a birdie that way. It was just too far. I tried to hit it too hard."
After all these years, he's still searching for that elusive first major title.
Still, Westwood has fond memories of those four days in June of 2008, "I remember it being a good week. I enjoyed the golf course. It was one of those iconic U.S. Opens. It was nice to be so involved right in there."
As for this week, Westwood is embracing his return,"Nice to be back. I forgot how beautiful a spot it was and my memory didn't do it justice."
