Westwood's journey to No1, by his mum and dad
By Jock Howard, Golf World
Tour News
14 January 2011 12:33
On Sunday 31st October 2010 Lee Westwood became the best golfer on the planet. We went to visit Lee’s Mum and Dad, Trish and John Westwood, just to see how proud they were that their only son had reached the pinnacle in world golf...
“It was some time between 2 and 3 o’clock,” says John Westwood, when asked the exact time it happened. “I had been jet-washing my paving stones in the morning, but I was keeping an eye on the tv, and what Martin [Kaymer] was doing at Valderrama. When he went to 7-over-par, it became clear that even if Martin holed every one of his second shots on the last three holes, he couldn’t have beaten Lee. That’s when I phoned Lee on his mobile.”
Their conversation apparently went like this…
John: I think congratulations are in order now!
Lee: Why, because I’ve just found a big potato?
John: Where are you?
Lee: I’m in the supermarket.
John: No. Because Martin’s just gone to 7-over-par, and I don’t think there’s any way he can stop you from being world number one. Anyway, I think you should show a bit more respect to the father of the world number one golfer!
“It’s very difficult to describe how I felt,” adds Trish, welling up with tears and offering me some homemade chocolate cake, “because at the end of the day he’s still my son. I gave him a big hug that evening, when we went over to his house for some champagne, and got a lump in my throat.”
Trish has got a bit of a reputation recently for crying. She did an interview at the Ryder Cup this year for Radio 5 Live, when she broke down mid-sentence, after being asked how proud she felt of her son. “He’s number two in the world…. at the moment,” she told Nicky Campbell as they walked down a fairway, “and he’s wanted to be number one all his life. It’s what he’s worked so hard for………” At this point she broke into a multitude of sobs.
They replayed this a lot in the next few days, on the Breakfast Show, and every time they did, Victoria Derbyshire, who was back in the studio, would break down in tears too!
The Westwoods had a ball at the Ryder Cup. They flew down with Lee in his helicopter and Trish even got to drive Monty’s captain’s buggy. There’s a picture of her in it, in their front room. “She ended up driving it for ages,” says John. “Monty told us no one had ever driven the captain’s buggy before. I told him that if he needed any advice on pairings, he should be sure to ask her!” Needless to say, when the crowd around the 1st tee began singing ‘There’s only one Lee Westwood’ Trish cried!
Sunday 31st October 2010 will always be a famous day in the Westwood household. After 17 years as a professional, 37-year-old Lee had finally reached the top. John and Trish went to Worksop Golf Club that afternoon, to play in the Gents v Ladies competition. “I prefer to fish and don’t play much,” says John, “but we enjoyed ourselves and put a bottle of champagne on each of the tables in the evening. In between playing golf and the dinner in the evening, we went to Lee’s for a drink. His cousin and one of his gardeners were there; and we gave him a big hug.”
They are also quite proud of him at Worksop Golf Club, where they’ve got a lifesize cut-out figure of Lee in the clubhouse now, with the words ‘World Number One’ on it. There is also a notice board, with some cuttings announcing the achievement of their favourite son. Lee’s name is on most of the Honours Boards, and her Mum was Lady Captain. “I’m afraid I’m only on the ‘Snooker Pairs’ board” says John, “which I won with Lee.”
Lee started playing golf when he was 11. His mother was a chiropodist, and one of her patients one day announced she was selling her son’s clubs. Trish said she’d buy them, just so that Lee and John could play in the school holidays.
“I’d taken Lee fishing,” says John, “and he was throwing stones into the canal, which is never good for fishing! Because I was a Maths teacher at Lee’s school, and Trish was at work, I was in charge during the school holidays of making sure he didn’t get bored. But the fish weren’t biting and I asked him if he fancied a game of golf with the clubs he had been given for Christmas. I hired clubs for myself and we went to the local municipal, Kilton Forest. Neither of us had a clue, and we both shot 180, but we enjoyed it, and went back for more the next day. On the third day we were playing the 4th hole, a 304-yard par-4, called Old King Cole. Lee chipped in for his first birdie ever! And at the same hole I sank a long putt for my first ever birdie! So, it was quite a special moment. The rest, as they say, is history.”
A year later, Lee had become a junior member of Worksop Golf Club. He used to play the ‘loop’ - the 1st, 2nd and 18th holes - again and again and again and again. When asked by quizzical members what he was up to, he used to reply: “My Mum told me that if I was to play here on my own, I wasn’t allowed to go out of sight of the clubhouse.”
As a child, Lee was a good boy and always worked hard at school. Oh sure, there were times when, like all boys, he’d get into trouble, like when he poured his mother’s perfume down the toilet to ‘make it smell nice’ or when he took a hammer and chisel to the new plaster work in the extension.
“I remember when he was 3,” says Trish, “I was a big Johnnie Mathis fan, and he asked me what car Johnnie Mathis drove. I told him it was a Rolls Royce, and he said he was going to be a singer one day!”
Lee’s Dad John, who had polio as a child, was always very competitive when they played together. They would play this game with cars, where they would roll them to the end of the table, and if they rolled off, you lost. The nearest you could get to the end without them falling, the better.
“I spent much of my childhood on crutches and in wheel chairs,” says John, “but my shoulders were incredibly strong. So, when he was much older, we used to arm wrestle a lot. Until he beat me. Then we stopped.”
John realised early on that golf and academic studies were not a great mix. Even though his instincts as a teacher made him think the academic route might be the more sensible path, his knowledge of how time-consuming golf was, told him otherwise. At 16, Lee had nine GCSE’s, but he was playing for England and wanted to play full time amateur golf. John told him he would have to work hard; but let him do it.
The top pros obviously make a load of cash; but John – who taught his son Maths from 9th year to when he got an ‘A’ in his GCSE – never let him forget how fortunate he is. However big the cheque Lee wins is, his Dad keeps his firmly grounded. “I remember going for a walk with him once,” says John, “and there were miners working under our feet. I told Lee never to forget that most people did jobs which were considerably worse than his.
The last word must go to Lee Westwood’s Careers Advisor; who is an excellent man called Geoff, but who made one rather big mistake. Twenty years ago, he asked Lee what he wanted to do with his life, and when Lee told him he wanted to be a professional golfer, Geoff screwed up his face and said: “Oh, there’s no money it that!”
“We often see him now,” says Trish, “and we smile knowingly at each other!”
DID YOU KNOW?
Lee Westwood’s uncle is T. Woods. At Lee’s wedding, everyone thought Tiger was coming, because the table was set with ‘T. Woods’ on it. Tim Woods is Trish’s sister’s husband.
