Sunday, August 1, 2010

Lee Westwood is hoping history repeats itself as he goes in search of a Dubai double at Emirates Golf Club today.

The world No.4 memorably won both the inaugural Race to Dubai and Dubai World Championship in the emirate last November.

Westwood is tied for the lead on 11-under, alongside Thongchai Jaidee, Alvaro Quiros and Miguel Angel Jimenez, heading into the final round.

But he is planning to employ the same tactics that worked wonders around the Earth course just 11 weeks ago in order to capture the title.

“I am going to try and do what I did at the Dubai World Championship, go out and shoot the lowest score of the day,” Westwood said. “If I shoot the lowest round of the day, I win, simple as that.”

He admits he’s not playing nearly as well as he was at last season’s finale and knows he may be hard-pressed to replicate his masterclass at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

However, he has every intention of attacking the pins from the outset when he begins his final round at 12.47pm, alongside Quiros.

“I’ll play aggressively. I won’t do anything stupid, but I’ll shoot at the flags that need to be shot at and play to the centre of the greens on ones that are ‘sucker flags’.”

Westwood arrived in Dubai on the back of a missed cut in Abu Dhabi and after a dodgy driver cost him a great shot at the title in Qatar last week.

But so far he has looked like he’s approaching his dominant best.

A sluggish start, which saw a bogey on the par-four fifth cancelled out by a birdie on the seventh, was forgotten after a back nine littered with four birdies, for a four-under par round of 68. And he knows he has to start today like he finished yesterday to have a chance of lifting the famous Arabian Coffee Pot trophy.

Big-hitting Quiros fired a five-under 67, the joint best round of the day, and he has warned Westwood he won’t have it all his own way.

“Two putts, two metres, it will be close,” the Spaniard said. “Everything can happen on this golf course.

“The 18th is a typical hole that somebody can make eagle and another can make bogey, easy.”

At one stage third-round leader Jaidee was three shots clear during yesterday’s play.

But a bogey and birdie-free back nine pulled him back to the chasing pack as he finished on a three-under 69.

However, the world No.59 remains confident he can recapture the outright lead when it matters.

“If I make par, no bogey, that’s fine,” said the Thai, who goes out today with Jimenez at 12.38pm.

“I have a good chance, it is one more day, and it will be very close.”

Meanwhile, defending champion Rory McIlroy lies two shots off the lead and will be looking for a great start today (12.29pm) to put some pressure on the leading group.