Westwood’s open policy on managing expectations

Yet the only thing missing is the one thing that counts greater than all of the above – a major title.

This week at Congressional, Lee Westwood is again given the opportunity to rectify that glaring omission from his curriculum vitae.

‘The best player never to win a major’ is an unenviable tag placed on a player by the media, one that burdened Phil Mickelson for nearly a decade and one that has, it appears, finally come true of Colin Montgomerie.

After five top-three finishes in his last 11 major championships which helped him rise to the top of the world rankings, it is a tag that grows more apt for Westwood with every major that slips by.

The 38-year-old from Worksop is not one to worry what other people think, and his achievements without one of the game’s defining tournaments are enough to be considered among the greats of European golf.

Yet to take that final step, he enters the second major of the year seeking to manage expectations – primarily his own.

“It’s a tricky balancing act, going in with expectations but playing with a freedom as well,” said Westwood on his return to Congressional, where on his US Open debut 14 years ago he finished 19th.

“It’s a fine line when you do get really close to it between becoming frustrated, but still seeing the positives in it. I feel like my game is good enough and if I just do a few things differently at the right times then it’ll be the difference between a second and a win.

“If you’re a good player you’re going to have disappointments because you’re going to be in contention a lot.

“So that’s all part and parcel of it. As golfers, if you have a successful year we maybe win three times a year – that’s about 10 per cent of the times you play.

“So you get used to not winning and being disappointed, so if you’re any good and mentally right you learn to try and take the positives out of anything, even when you maybe finish second and you thought you should have won one of these.

“You try and look at it on the bright side and I think I’ve probably managed to do that over the last few years.”

Westwood points to the fact that a month after bogeying the last at Turnberry two years ago – it cost him a place in the play-off – he came third in the PGA.

Then the following April it took an inspired display from Mickelson to deny him at The Masters and three months after that he was second again in the Open.

“I seem to be responding well and coming out of it positively, even though obviously I’d love to win one,” added Westwood, who comes into the US Open on a run of two wins and a second-place in his last four strokeplay tournaments.

Only Luke Donald, the man who replaced him at the top of the rankings at Wentworth two weeks ago and who he plays alongside for the first two rounds, is in better form. Westwood said: “I’m hitting the ball very well. I’m driving it pretty long and straight and my iron shots are fairly crisp, which is good coming into a US Open.

“My preparation has gone well. I’ve played well just recently after a slowish start to the year. There’s a couple of wins in there and obviously lost in a play-off to Luke at the PGA. My confidence is pretty high.”

As well as keeping his emotions in check and his game in good nick, Westwood – whose best finish at a US Open was at Torrey Pines three years ago when he missed out on a play-off by one shot – knows there is one more key ingredient.

“You just have to be very, very patient and not give any shots away unnecessarily,” he said. “If you can make double instead of making triple that’s great. If you can make bogey instead of making double – fantastic.”