Westwood happy out of spotlight

Westwood: peaceful day

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With the world's top three players - Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott - paired together for the opening two rounds of the US Open, it was perhaps obvious around whom early attentions at Torrey Pines would be centred.

Not that Lee Westwood was worried by the lack of clamour. Far from it: the 35-year-old from Worksop revelled in the relative peace and quiet he found on day one to shoot a one-under round of 70 - better than anyone in the feature group.

With a round featuring two birdies, a bogey and nine consecutive pars coming in, the Ryder Cup star therefore lies in a tie for seventh place, two shots behind first-round leaders Justin Hicks and Kevin Streelman.

And, after walking off the 18th green, Westwood took the time to thank the USGA for placing the top three players in the world in the same group.

"It was great. I want to thank the USGA for putting them together," he said. "It was a lovely, nice peaceful day out there. I think they should do it more often.

"You could hear the cheers and you could see the sort of migration of people around the golf course and we were all just watching.

"It was like wandering around on a Sunday morning. It was fabulous."

Westwood posted his best finish in a US Open back in 2000 when he tied for fifth. But in four Opens since then he has missed a cut and finished no better than a tie for 33rd.

Set-up

And, while Westwood might have to face up to the prospect of a superstar pairing heading into the weekend, he does at least have a golf course that is set up to his liking.

"This is as good as I've ever seen a US Open golf course set up," he added. "I think that it's well documented that the USGA held their hands up when they set the golf course up on Sunday at Shinnecock (in 2004).

"Last year for me was a little too tough as well, extremely when you missed the fairways.

"But it's perfect. I think that if I was on the USGA committee, this golf course would be exactly how I wanted it."