Lee Westwood has declared that his strong driving game and fine recent form bodes well for success at this week's US PGA Championship.
The Englishman tied for third in last month's Open, recording his eighth top-three finish at a Major tournament.
Westwood thinks that the course at Oak Hill complements his game and is quietly confident of challenging Tiger Woods for his maiden Major title.
He told BBC Sport: "If you're a good driver of the golf ball, then you can gain a big advantage. You can hit the driver a lot. I think there's some holes where people that maybe aren't so straight with drivers are going to be hitting an iron off the tee and probably going in with a five or six iron, but if you drive it well you are going to be going in with a nine iron or wedge and having a massive advantage.
"I've been hitting the ball pretty solidly. I played nicely tee‑to‑green last week, certainly better than even the week before at the Open. So I think it's all coming together and it's a good time to start playing well.
"The main reason for finishing third at the Open was that I putted so well. The first time I've putted well in I don't know how long. It seems to be what everybody else does every week, so that's a level of consistency that I've got to try to get to on the greens. So the idea is to play the best you can and give yourself a chance on Sunday going into the back nine and just see what happens."
The 40-year-old will tee off alongside Tim Clark and Bubba Watson on Thursday, starting his first round at 6.05pm.
Liam Power
