NEWPORT, R.I. — Lee Westwood is making his U.S. Senior Open debut this week — and he picked a heck of a place to do so. Newport Country Club, the classic seaside course on the southern tip of Rhode Island, is playing host to the 44th edition of this championship, and players are giving rave reviews.
Although this Top 100 track dates back to the 1800s, it provides a sturdy test — and plenty of history. Newport CC was among the five founding member clubs of the USGA, and it hosted the first U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, way back in 1895. Although the scores aren’t quite as high as they were in the late 19th century, the course still has plenty of teeth — especially when the wind blows.
Luckily for Westwood, the wind wasn’t much of a factor during his opening round. Going off in the 8:24 a.m. grouping, the sea breeze didn’t start howling until his last few holes. By then, he was already in the midst of a steady round that he turned into a four-under 66.
“I would imagine these are the best scoring conditions we’re going to have all week,” Westwood said. “It wasn’t really that windy until sort of the last five, six holes. It laid down and was there for the taking early on.”
For many golf fans, this is the first glimpse of the 51-year-old they’ve gotten in quite some time. Since defecting to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit in 2022, Westwood has not played on the PGA Tour. In May of 2023, he resigned his DP World Tour membership as well. Outside of the LIV schedule, he’s appeared sparingly in Asian Tour events, but he’s far from the global name he once was.
Nevertheless, in the opening round at Newport CC, Westwood proved he’s still got plenty of game. With four birdies and an eagle (against just two bogeys), the former World No. 1 finds himself inside the top 10 in his U.S. Senior Open debut. And after battling a glandular fever last year, he says he finally feels like the Westwood of old.
“Takes a while to get out of your system,” he said. “Just started feeling well the last couple months. Yeah, no excuse now.”
Most run-of-the-mill senior tour events (as well as competitions on LIV Golf) are only 54 holes. But at the U.S. Senior Open, the USGA uses 72 holes to determine a champion. One reporter jokingly asked if a 51-year-old recovering from a glandular fever could possibly survive 72 holes this week. For that, Westwood had the perfect response.
“It’s playing in trousers that’s bothering me more,” Westwood said. (LIV Golf allows players to wear shorts during competition). “I’m a finely tuned athlete as you can see. You know, that’s rubbish really. Seventy-two holes won’t be a problem. Like I say, it’s looking down and seeing me legs in trousers. I prefer to get me legs out.”
If Westwood continues to play like he did on Thursday, he’ll have a great opportunity to walk away with the trophy by the end of the week.
If he can survive 72 holes in pants, that is.
