‘Best win’ in sight for English veteran Lee Westwood at LIV Singapore
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Lee Westwood chases a 45th career victory at LIV Singapore, where he currently shares the lead with Joaquin Niemann heading into the tournament's final round.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Lee Westwood, at 52, leads LIV Singapore with Joaquin Niemann, aiming for what he considers potentially his best career win.
- Westwood, recovering from a wrist injury, is motivated by competition and challenging younger players, showcasing his enduring skill.
- Niemann respects Westwood's longevity and work ethic; he's focused on patience and improving his putting for a chance to win.
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SINGAPORE – Picking a favourite win is hard for veteran golfer Lee Westwood, who boasts 44 victories across different circuits, including two on the PGA Tour.
Among his most memorable is the 1997 Australian Open, where the Englishman, then still relatively unknown, beat home favourite and then world No. 1 Greg Norman in a four-hole play-off to lift the trophy at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne.
Then, there was his victory at Sun City, South Africa, in 2018, when he claimed the Nedbank Golf Challenge title with his partner Helen Storey on his bag.
Yet the biggest win of the 52-year-old’s career may still lie ahead of him, as he sits atop the leaderboard with defending champion Joaquin Niemann heading into the final round of LIV Singapore.
At Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course on March 14, the former world No. 1 shot a three-under 68, bringing him to a 10-under 203 total after the third round of the tournament.
Westwood and Niemann, who posted a 66, are a stroke ahead of Canadian wild card Richard Lee (69) and American overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau (72).
When asked what it would mean to him to win in Singapore, Westwood said: “I’m 53 on the 24th of April, so at that stage, it would probably be the best win of my career. All of my wins have special memories.
“But to still be competitive at my age and up there and having chances to win tournaments like this is validation for driving myself on and doing all the hard work and practice that nobody sees and still being competitive... and having a good-enough game to compete against them.”
Westwood began the third round three shots behind DeChambeau and stayed within striking distance, maintaining a steady round with one birdie and a bogey through the first 14 holes.
The twice Major champion, meanwhile, struggled to keep his advantage and saw his three-shot lead evaporate after recording three bogeys and two birdies over the opening 10 holes.
Niemann, who started the day five strokes off the lead, began climbing the leaderboard as he posted five birdies and two bogeys on his first 12 holes.
He then moved into a share of the lead with a birdie on the par-four 15th and took the outright lead after DeChambeau dropped a shot on No. 12.
The Chilean was peerless at the top until Westwood surged late to join him after birdies on three of his last four holes.
Being in contention this week surprised Westwood, who returned to action only last week at LIV Hong Kong after recovering from a left wrist injury.
On what keeps him motivated to compete, he said: “I’ve always been fiercely competitive.
“I find a competition in anything I’m doing and now I’m at an age where it’s about getting in there and showing the younger lads that I can still do it and shaking it up a bit.
“They could be under pressure a bit tomorrow with an old man like me staring them down, or they might just relax and play well. You never know.”
Niemann, 27, hailed Westwood’s longevity.
He said: “It’s nice to see him perform. He kind of struggled a little bit last year; I feel like he was pretty close to relegation last year (46th in the LIV standings).
“Him being able to come back and work hard as he did, and for his age, for how many years he’s been working hard and trying to figure it out... I really respect that and respect his game because of that. It’ll be good to play with him and learn from him as well tomorrow.”
After winning five times in the breakaway league in 2025, Niemann has endured a difficult start to the season.
In 2026, he has yet to finish in the top 10, with his best performance a tied-12th finish in Australia, while he was joint-22nd and tied-41st in Riyadh and Hong Kong respectively.
But Niemann, who won by five shots in Singapore in 2025, acknowledged that setbacks are part of the sport and is pleased to see how his game is coming together this week.
He said: “Golf is a tough game and I know that if I play the way that I played today and I putt a little bit better than today, I know I’m going to have a really big, big chance to win.
“I feel like I’ve just got to work towards that, what makes that happen, and I feel like it’s just being patient. Just being patient, taking it step by step.”
