AUGUSTA, Ga. - So who's the best golfer out there right now that's never won a major? If you said Lee Westwood, you surely went with about as logical a moving target as any.
The 38-year-old Englishman, who's resurrected his career in the last half-decade, tied for third at the U.S. Open in 2008 and again last year. He tied for third at the British Open in 2009 and was second the following July. He tied for third at the 2009 PGA Championship, and finished runner-up at the 2010 Masters.
One of these times, doesn't it have to finally be his turn? Of course, Colin Montgomerie probably used to tell himself the same thing.
Yet perhaps, for Westwood, it really could be this time.
He opened with a 5-under-par 67 Thursday afternoon at Augusta National, which left him with a one-shot lead over 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and Peter Hanson after one round of the Masters, the season's first major.
Westwood, who shot a 74 in the third round last April and wound up tied for 11th, was in front after both the second and third rounds 2 years ago but lost by three when Phil Mickelson unfurled his third 67 of the week. That was the only other time Westwood's been ahead at the end of any round of any grand-slam event.
Now it looks as if he'll at least get another chance to remove his name from the game's most dreaded list.
"It comes into mind almost immediately," Westwood acknowledged. "I've had a good career, won pretty much everywhere, all there is other than majors. That's my primary focus now.
"It's as much tension and pressure as you make it. I've played here enough to know it pretty well. That eradicates a lot of that. I'm trying to relax."
He matched his low score here, which he carded in the first round in 2010. He was 4-under at the turn, and made the last of his seven birdies at No. 17. He made four in a row starting at the fifth. The last of his two bogeys came at 10.
He's won 37 titles worldwide, but only two on the PGA Tour, in 1998 and 2010. He's 0-for-55 in the four tournaments that folks care about the most.
This is his 13th Masters.
"I didn't realize I was that old," he said. "Maybe that'll be a lucky number for me.
"I've been playing well all year. I was just trying to carry my way into the tournament. I hope I can stay there. It's nice to get off to a good start. It gives you a platform to build on.
"Experience counts for a lot. I've been in this position a lot recently. I think that's an asset . . . When you're in contention and don't finish it off, you go home and assess what [happened]. To me, that seems to be the only sensible thing to do."
Oosthuizen has missed the cut in each of his three Masters appearances, having never shot lower than 73. And that was in his opening round 3 years ago.
"The big thing is you know you can win a major, and it's working on getting the game right for that week," he said. "It's always nice seeing your name on the leaderboard, but it makes it a little bitter sweeter here."
Paul Lawrie, who won the 1999 British Open that Jean van de Velde couldn't, is tied at 69 with Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, Ben Crane, Jason Duffner and Bubba Watson, who lost the 2010 PGA in a playoff, at 69.
This is Lawrie's first Masters since 2004. He'd never broken 70 in a dozen previous rounds. This time, he eagled both par-5s on the back nine, the first time he could ever remember having a pair in the same round.
Four more were at 70: Jim Furyk, who had the lone bogey-free day; 2000 champ Vijay Singh, who missed the cut here the last 2 years; 2007 winner Zach Johnson, and Scott Stallings, who was making his debut.
Tiger Woods, who won the last of his four Masters 7 years ago but hasn't finished out of the top six since, bogeyed the last two holes for a 72.
It's his worst first-round score since 2008, when he also opened with a 72 and finished second. He won in 2005 after starting with a 74.
"I squeezed a lot out of that round," said Woods, who, in his most recent start 2 weeks ago, got his first PGA Tour victory in 2 1/2 years. "Didn't hit it very good at all. Warmed up bad, too, and just continued on the golf course. I just felt my way around.
"I stayed very present. I know how to play this golf course. I think it's just understanding what I need to do. I hit a few loose ones, but I just stayed committed, whatever happens. I need to go do some work [on the practice range]."
Rory McIlroy, who led this thing for 63 holes last year before imploding and then went wire-to-wire in the U.S. Open 2 months later, birdied the final two for a 71.
"That was huge," he said. "I didn't have my best out there today."
He came in late, as nasty weather that had been forecast never quite materialized.
Mickelson, who's won three green jackets in the last 8 years, closed with a birdie for a 74 in the final group. He had a triple-bogey at the par-4 10th after taking a penalty for a lost ball for the first time at Augusta. Hunter Mahan, the top-ranked American, had a 72 in the same threesome.
It was Mickelson's highest opening round since 2007, when he had a 76. The only other time he started higher than 74 was 1997, when he also had 76.
He was at the course 6 hours before his tee time to watch ceremonial starters Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and, for the first time, Gary Player hit their drives down No. 1.
"That was a really cool experience," Lefty insisted. "Worth getting up for."
Henrik Stenson, the only guy to get to 6-under (through 15), bogeyed 16 and quadrupled 18 for his 71. His eight tied for the worst score ever at No. 18. He hit it into the trees off the tee, had trouble getting out, hit an approach over the green and missed a 5-footer that would have saved a seven.
"You make a little mistake, and then you compound it with another one, and it just keeps on snowballing," said Stenson, who also shot an eight on the par-3 No. 4 last year. "And I got the snowman [8] in the end."
If you have room.
