Ryder Cup: Lee Westwood delighted with Friday foursomes victory
Friday 26 September 2014 20:44, UK
Lee Westwood feels his opening-day performance at Gleneagles went a long way to justifying his Ryder Cup wildcard.
The 41-year-old was something of a controversial captain's pick by Paul McGinley after struggling with his form for some time.
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But McGinley wanted Westwood's experience as part of his team and he kicked off his ninth event alongside Jamie Donaldson in the afternoon foursomes, the pair claiming a point with a two-hole victory over Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar.
"It's nice for the captain when he picks you to repay him with points, because the captain needs confidence as much as the rest of the players," Westwood said.
"He needs to know that he's done his work well and put the foundations in there and the picks are a big part of that.
"I guess when he was picking me he was picking experience to play with somebody that had not played before, and it worked out well for him.
"Paul has made me very aware of the role I'm going to play and when he wants me to play, and having a lie in was a new thing for me but it was nice, turning the TV on, watching the lads suffer in the cold.
Good job
"I think Paul's doing a good job and he seems to have cherry-picked and picked a lot of previous captains' brains."
Westwood also had plenty of praise for Donaldson, the Welshman scoring a point in his first Ryder Cup match.
"When you've played a few, it's fun watching somebody who has made their debut play so well and take to it like a duck to water," he added.
"I had no doubt he would, really. He plays well in the big events. He plays well under pressure and you don't tend to get much more pressure than a Ryder Cup, especially when you're making your debut."
Donaldson admitted it had been tough at times to keep his emotions in check, but he was unsurprisingly delighted to win on his first outing.
"Obviously you try to keep on a level keel all the time so the emotions don't go too up and down," he said.
"You're not sort of over-hyping yourself up sort of thing then a few fist-pumps came from nowhere. Obviously this event is going to bring that out in you."
