Lee Westwood is ready for the round of his life

It’s D-Day, the moment of truth for Lee Westwood at Muirfield this afternoon.

The 40-years-old Englishman goes into the fourth and final round holding a two-shot lead over his playing partner Hunter Mahan (2.10pm) and another American star, 14-times major winner Tiger Woods who tees it up with current Masters champion Adam Scott (2pm), a further shot adfrift.

This is Westwood’s big moment when he takes centre stage and bids to finally end his barren majors run and the “best player never to have won a major tag.”

Today is what it is all about. Although he has won tournaments all over Planet Golf, winning majors – and The Open in particular – is everything. It means everything too and no doubt sealing victory will make all the endless hours of practice totally worthwhile….and erase all the heartbreak and memories of recent painful losses.

He’s recently seen the likes of Justin Rose, Adam Scott and old friend and ISM stablemate Darren Clarke claim their first major titles and he desperately wants to follow suit and he probably won’t have a better opportunity than today.

‘Westy’ of course has had his chances in the past, specially at Turnberry in 2009 and the following year’s Masters when Phil Mickelson denied him, but blown them all.

So he’s taking nothing whatsoever for granted and fully knows that one bad hole, one bad shot even, could spell disaster and bring his golfing world crashing down around him again.

But it’s been so-far-so-good for Westwood and he’s just one more solid all round performance from joining the game’s greats and finally, and deservedly, the exclusive majors-winning club.

He’d never shout it from the Muirfield clubhouse rooftop of course, but you distinctly got the impression in his post-round press conference last night that Westy is fully in charge of his emotions and game. He’s in control and ready for the most critical 18 holes of golf of his life.

He reflected: “I could have won four majors if things had gone my way and hopefully I can learn from those things that went wrong and put them into practice today.”

Westy will no doubt be inspired by not only close pal Clarke’s out-of-the-blue win at Royal St George’s in 2011 but the way Adam Scott bounced back from his Open nightmare at Lytham last year to win this year’s US Masters.

Westy will be well aware of the threat of Scott and of course Tiger Woods and there are a whole host of class acts including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera and Sergio Garcia, dangerously lurking behind him and within striking distance.

But if the Englishman can carry on doing what he’s been doing so far this week – keeping his ball on the short stuff and putting out his socks – and staying fully focussed, patient and in the moment, the Claret Jug will be in his hands this evening.

If so, not only will he become the first Englishman to win since Sir Nick Faldo here 21 years ago, he’ll continue this sizzling summer of British sport following the successes of Justin Rose (US Open), Andy Murray (Wimbledon) and the national cricket team who look poised to power into a 2-0 lead in the Ashes.