Jakarta: Lee Westwood celebrated his 38th birthday with a comfortable three-stroke victory at the Indonesian Masters on Sunday to stay in the hunt for regaining the world number one spot from German Martin Kaymer.
The world number two will top the rankings if fellow Briton Luke Donald, who leads by a stroke at the $750,000 Heritage tournament in South Carolina after the penultimate round, fails to land the trophy.
"It was about coming here this week and trying to win the Indonesian Masters and I`ve done that. I`ve ticked every box this week so we will have to wait and see what happens," Westwood said after his win.
Donald could overtake Kaymer, who is not playing this week, and Westwood, despite his victory, because the Heritage carries more ranking points than the Asian Tour event.
Westwood, who led by five strokes after the third round, started with a birdie on the first hole but dropped a shot on the second to make the turn at even-par 36 at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Westwood, who was world number one for 17 weeks until Kaymer replaced him in February, birdied the 11th and 12th holes after eight straight pars to take control of the leaderboard to end at 19-under 269.
"It was quite some day. I knew it wasn`t going to be easy with a five-shot lead. Park (Hyun-bin) played well on the front nine and Thongchai was making many birdies," he said."But I was experienced enough to know that patience was the key. When you are coming down those last few holes, the only person who knows what to do better is yourself.
"This is my 18th or 19th year playing on Tour and I still love it. I`ve always said that when I stop loving the game, I`ll quit but I still love getting on the aeroplane and playing with some of the best players in the world on some of the greatest golf courses."
He returned to play his last hole after an hour`s delay due to lightning and parred it before the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to him.Thailand`s Thongchai Jaidee finished second with a bogey-free 65 while Park Hyun-bin of South Korea and Thailand`s Thitiphun Chuayprakong were joint third along with Bangladesh`s Siddikur Rahman and Australian Marcus Both at 13-under 275.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.