Westwood feeling strong as ever

Lee Westwood began his 19th attempt to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Thursday sounding good to go for many more years yet.

The world number three turned 39 a month ago, but feels as fit as he has ever been and certainly as determined.

"I'm lifting heavier weights and doing more repetitions, so I'm obviously getting stronger," he said.

"I'm not getting any younger, but you like to think that you reach a sort of level where you can just keep maintaining it all the time and I feel like I'm at that at the moment.

"I'd like to be a bit thinner, but my life's a diet.

"If you sat and had dinner with me you would see it's not that strict, but a lot of the stuff we do is to prolong my career, to make it possible that I can play well into my mid to late 40s and still be competitive."

Westwood's debut in the European Tour's flagship event came in 1994, the year after he turned professional.

He came 21st then, had his first top 10 finish three years after that and in 2000 was joint runner-up behind Colin Montgomerie.

Last May the Worksop golfer was runner-up again, this time after a play-off with Luke Donald that cost him the world number one spot.

The battle for that now is between Donald and present incumbent Rory McIlroy.

Donald will go back top with a successful defence - only Montgomerie and Nick Faldo have managed that - but eighth place or better would be good enough if McIlroy misses the cut, as he did on his last start at the Players Championship a fortnight ago.

That performance has certainly not knocked the 23-year-old's confidence.

"I think that you have to believe that you're better than anyone else," he said.

"On my day I believe I can beat anyone in the world. It's just a matter of going out there and showing everyone else what I believe.

"It's hard to walk around saying 'I'm the best' or whatever, but you just have to believe in it and be quietly confident."

Donald was not quite as forceful in his answer to the same question.

"I don't really think in terms like that," he said.

"I think my focus is to try and always continue to improve and be a better golfer.

"In terms of who is the best, that's a very hard thing to discuss. Certainly I've been one of the most consistent players over the last couple of years.

"I've won quite a few events and I'm very proud of what I've done the last couple of years."