CNN
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For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for birdie or for bogey: Lee Westwood and his wife Helen are living every golf couple’s dream at The Open Championship.
The former world No. 1 rolled back the years to make an impressive start in the 153rd edition of the sport’s oldest tournament at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland on Thursday, with his spouse caddying every step of his two-under 69 opening round on a rain-soaked Dunluce Links course.
It may be considered an unconventional – but not unheard of – arrangement for most players, but Westwood never had a second thought about his choice on the bag for his 90th major appearance.
“I prefer to have her caddying for me whenever she can,” the 52-year-old told reporters when he returned to the clubhouse, two shots off the lead.
“It was an easy decision for me. Probably harder for her – she’d rather be at home riding her horse.”
The on-course partnership began in 2018, the duo explained on “The Therapy Crouch” podcast earlier this month.
“I knew I could handle the weight of the bag and what have you, but I didn’t have a bloody clue what I was doing,” said Helen, adding that she had never played the sport before that point.
Yet it was a move that reaped instant reward, with Westwood claiming his 24th European Tour victory on their third tournament together. When the pair married in Las Vegas in 2021, their “honeymoon” the following week was spent contesting the US Open in San Diego.
While technical decisions on the course, like the choice of club or shot, start and end with the seven-time Ryder Cup champion, mental matters often fall upon the caddie’s shoulders.
“Sometimes, when I’m kicking off and having a bit of a moan and a whinge, she looks at me and goes, ‘Are you finished?’” Westwood said.
“He’s in a beautiful spot doing something that he loves. I’m like, ‘Grow up, get on with it,’” Helen added.
With world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and home hero Rory McIlroy favorites among a star-studded field as The Open returns to Royal Portrush for just the third time, Westwood arrived as a 500/1 longshot with some bookmakers – but can take heart from the last time the venue played host on the Causeway Coast.
The Nottinghamshire-born golfer finished tied-fourth in 2019, Helen on the bag once again, as McIlroy and a host of other big names were left reeling by testing conditions.
It can serve as hope in his latest bid to shed the unwanted tag as one of the most talented players to never win a major. The best of his nine top-10 finishes came at the Open in 2010, albeit by seven shots, a year after he had agonizingly missed out on making the tournament playoff by a single stroke.
“I love The Open Championship and I love Portrush,” Westwood said Thursday.
“It’s one of the golf courses where if it wasn’t The Open and somebody said, ‘Do you want to go and play Portrush this weekend?’ I’d probably go. And there’s not many courses like that.”
Westwood’s 28th Open start marks his first since 2022, the same year he left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. He had been competing in a Dallas event on the breakaway circuit just two days before he stamped his ticket for Royal Portrush with a victory in a final qualifying event earlier this month.
He had held a share of the early lead with Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen and China’s Li Haotong at four-under par following a fourth birdie of the opening round at the 12th hole, only for bogeys at the 14th and 16th to drop him back.
“Links golf more than any golf gives you a chance when you’re our age,” Westwood said. “There’s a bit more run on the ball … you’ve got to use the conditions.”
“Can’t beat a senior name up there on a Thursday … we’ll talk again if it’s up there on Sunday,” he added.
