Lee Westwood is the world’s No.1 golfer. For all of us at International Sports Management that first sentence has a wonderful ring to it.
Even before Lee succeeded Tiger Woods at the top of the rankings, we had had the season of all seasons because last July Louis Oosthuizen secured his and our first grand slam title.
It didn’t seem like it could get any better than a major championship at St.Andrews, the home of golf, but Lee found a way to become the globe’s premier golfer and the message went all around the world.
A telephone conference call was over-subscribed and once Lee made his way to the BBC’s breakfast show the following morning, just about the only programme he didn’t appear on for the next couple of hours was Jackanory.
The acclaim followed Lee all the way to China where he was making his comeback from injury with Tiger among the first to congratulate him. Everybody wanted the new number one’s signature or picture and Lee obliged everybody. It is a measure of the man.
Nobody has worked harder or returned back from adversity with such force than Lee John, as I refer to him.
The John is taken from his father and it is a testimony to the backing Lee has received from wife Laurae and both John and his mother Trish that he was able to reach such dizzy heights.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Lee had slipped from the top 10 to 266 in the rankings. Nobody has answered that particular wake-up call with such speed and now Lee realises he will have to work just as hard to stay where he is that he had to get there in the first place.
But let there be no doubt that he is there deservedly. The major titles may have eluded him so far, but there has not been a more consistent golfer over the last three years. His coronation is fully warranted.
Coach Pete Cowen, fitness guru Steve McGregor and caddie Billy Foster have also been among the principal contributors to Lee’s success, but a team is only as strong as its captain and Lee has proved himself a worthy number one.
Long may it continue and what a week to make his comeback because all the players capable of dethroning him this week are in Shanghai for the HSBC. It should be a thrilling time.
Well done Lee John. Now I expect him to follow up by crowning his career with the major championship he so thoroughly deserves.
