Elder-Lee: At 48, Westwood Makes 11th Ryder Cup Appearance
Lee Westwood plays his shot on the 16th hole prior to the 43rd Ryder Cup in Kohler, Wisconsin, on Sept. 21.
Photographer: Warren Little/Getty Images
Sheboygan, Wis. (AP) -- The stubble on his beard matches the color of that small shock of hair near Lee Westwood's temple — gray. Instead of calling him old, Westwood suggests “mature” might be a better way of putting it.
Or, you could put it like this: The 48-year-old Englishman is heading into his record-tying 11th Ryder Cup this week. At his first one, in 1997, he partnered with Nick Faldo, who is now 64 and doing TV work. In the leadup to this one, which begins Friday at Whistling Straits, Westwood is mentoring, among others, Viktor Hovland. The 24-year-old Hovland was 10 days old when Westwood made his debut at Valderrama.