The Open Championship, St Andrews, 15-18 July
Coverage: Live on BBC TV, Red Button, BBC Sport website, with updates on BBC Radio 5 live Full coverage details Westwood and his caddy Billy Foster are hoping to improve on finishing third at last year's Open at Turnberry
England's Lee Westwood will play at this week's Open at St Andrews, despite injuring his right calf muscle. The world number three limped through the French Open a fortnight ago before being advised to rest. "I've got swelling into my ankle and it is six to eight weeks recovery time if you put your feet up," said Westwood. "But with the biggest tournament on the calendar this week I can't afford to do that, so it's a case of strapping it up and playing as well as I can." London's Brian Davis has flown in from the United States as first reserve for the Open but Westwood, who played only six practice holes on Monday, is in no doubt that he will tee off with Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Australia's Adam Scott at 1342 BST on Thursday. "I've been looking forward to this week for quite some time. It's the home of golf and it's even more special when the Open Championship is here - and obviously it's one I'd like to win," he said of the Scottish course.  | The old saying is 'beware the injured golfer', so hopefully that will ring true. |
"The injury only affects the end of my swing. I try and go up on my toe and then twist - I'm using it then and it's kind of stretching it out and feels uncomfortable. "The very last part I'm just a little bit apprehensive about but hopefully as the week goes on I'll get various types of strapping right. "We can fine-tune it over the next couple of days and hopefully it won't be too much of a problem. It's not going to be perfect but what can you do?" And Westwood certainly will not be using his injury as an excuse if he fails to find his form this week. He added: "It's frustrating that it's the Open Championship but if I don't play well this week I won't put it down to the injury. "Obviously it doesn't help but I'm hitting the ball well and feel like I'm very comfortable on these greens. I'm still hoping for a good week. "I haven't done a lot on it. I didn't hit balls until Friday last week and after 20 to 25 balls it was then nothing Saturday and 20 to 30 Sunday. "I'll play 18 on Tuesday and then we'll see on Wednesday. The forecast is not great, so I might just play a few holes and go out and wander around. "Apparently I can't do any more damage by playing. I've taken plenty of advice. | 606: DEBATE BBC Sport's Peter Scrivener |
"It's a very thin muscle that's like a piece of string apparently and it runs down through the calf and God knows where after that - into the ankle I guess. "I've had trouble with my Achilles tendon for about eight months now and I was doing exercises to strengthen that but it must have been this. "The old saying is 'beware the injured golfer', so hopefully that will ring true." Westwood, who finished third at Turnberry in last year's Open and was runner-up at the Masters in April, has already pulled out of the Irish Open in a fortnight, but expects to play in the final major of the year, the PGA Championship in August. And with the Ryder Cup 11 weeks away, the hope is that Europe's highest-ranked golfer will be fully fit.
| 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?