Westwood backs into win on tour.

I have said for months that Lee Westwood does not have what it takes mentally to win on the PGA Tour, or in a major championship for that matter. Every time he has come down the stretch in the final 18 holes, either leading or close to the lead, he fails to close the deal!

I cannot stress enough the impact that a player's mental game has on his scoring, and winning. Some golfers are simply not comfortable with the lead, or in the winner's circle.

Sunday at the St. Jude Classic, he had finished at ten under par, with the leader Robert Garrigus still out on the 18th tee, at thirteen under, with one hole to go. Westwood was about to head for the airport when PGA officials told him to stick around for a few minutes. Why?

Garrigus had led the tournament when the final round began, but he is another tour player who has never won on tour, and leading the tournament made him green around the gills. So he promptly played poorly until he was no longer in the lead.

Once he was back in his comfort zone, he relaxed and started playing good golf again. Standing on the 18th tee, Garrigus was once again hit with the reality of the fact that he had a three-stroke lead going into the last hole.

What did he do? He panicked and hit his tee shot left into the water. He then dropped back of the water and chunk-pulled his next shot on the other side of the water to the left. From there he managed to punch out over the water and back in the fairway. He was lying four, hitting five onto the green. He managed to two-putt for a triple bogey seven, and found himself in a playoff with Westwood and Robert Karlsson.

Garrigus promptly stood up on the 18th tee again, to begin a sudden death playoff with Karlsson and Westwood, and drove it through the fairway, up against a tree. He was SOL, with no shot to the green at all. He punched out into the fairway, then hit the green, two-putted for bogey, and his tournament was over. Westwood found himself remaining in the playoff with Karlsson, and managed to beat Karlsson for the win!

What will this win do for Westwood's mental side of his game? I don't think his backing into a win this last weekend will do anything for his mental toughness at all. But who knows? Maybe he'll start thinking he is the luckiest golfer on tour, and even thinking you are lucky can have its rewards.

But it will be interesting to watch his play in this week's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. I'm looking forward to this week's tournament.