Westwood Chips In for October

Lee Westwood’s brilliantly crafted chip at the 71st hole of the Portugal Masters has earned the English Ryder Cup player The European Tour Shot of the Month Award for October. Westwood went long and left at the 589 yard par five 17th hole at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura with the title on the line. He was able to take a free drop but still faced a treacherous shot over trees to a green guarded by water. He then produced a wonderfully deft stroke to within a few feet of the hole and tapped in for the birdie four which effectively clinched his first European Tour title for over three years. Westwood admitted: “I don’t think I've ever played a better chip and I don't ever want to play that one again! Looking through the trees, I could see water and it wasn't a very good lie because the crowd had been walking around there as well but obviously the ball came out perfectly.” Second place went to Angel Cabrera’s three wood to the 18th green in the semi-final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship against Ross Fisher, whose 50 foot eagle putt at the 334 yard fourth hole in the final against Anthony Kim was voted in third place. Winners of the Shot of the Month in 2009 have been: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (January and March), Paul Casey of England (February and May), three Argentine golfers in Angel Cabrera (April), Rafa Echenique (June), Ricardo Gonzalez (July), and Alexander Noren of Sweden (August and September). The Shot of the Month is awarded to the Tour Member for the shot judged to be the best played each month on The European Tour International Schedule. At the end of the season, the winning shot from each month will be nominated for The European Tour Shot of the Year Award.