He lost the story of the open championship from Inch. And did not go out

Lee Westwood left the sixth green In Royal Portrarian and looked around, surprised how his third round 2025 Open Championship had started.

After a double double in Par-3 3, a Bogey and 4 and another in 6, Westwood was four out of six and had fallen down to the manager’s table.

“I was looking around the Golf Course and I was like, oh, my Lord, where I would make a couple of birds to return this to half,” said Westwood, who is 52 years old, after his round.

But those thoughts were quickly distributed.

After losing the last two open championships as he decided not to try to qualify, the Englishman is plunging at every moment of his favorite tour. Be it birds or bogey, cleaned iron or Duffed chip, Westwood is determined not to allow its dull art game that is being created by the combination of the landscape of northern Ireland, historical crowds and history.

“That’s why I was really not so disappointed when I was four out of 6 because I thought, it’s the open championship, the more I’m going to play, you can also enjoy it,” Westwood said. “It makes no sense to be four out of six and attack and be miserable and to think,” My open championship chance goes there this year. “You can also enjoy the surroundings, enjoy the reactions from the crowd because they are great, and just plot together and try and understand what was going bad with my swinging and why I was four out of six, turn it.”

Maestick co-captain did so.

He made a bird in the 7th Par-5th, but threw the 8th to reach 40.

Then, Westwood said his wife Helen, who is his caddy, offered him half a ton sandwich in the 10th. It hit the place.

Westwood began to look like Wold No. 1 that he used to be – pierced pins and pouring into a blow to wipe his gloomy opening stanza.

That bird 10, 11 and 12. He put forward 13 and then filled his approach to two feet at 14. He rolled into a 23 pedestrian for Birdie at 15 and drained a 20-foot for Birdie at 17. Walking down the 18th road, Westwood took an ovation. His nine back of his rear had it in the history of the open championship history. He needed a final bird in 18 to become the first player in 153 repetition of Open to shoot 28 in the back.

Only Westwood had no idea.

“I just kept writing a lot of 3 on my outcome card and I was like,” That’s going well, “he said with a thorn after the round.” I didn’t even know what I needed to go down the last. “

Westwood struck his approach to 15 meters, giving himself a good blow to raise his name in golf history. His game partner, Sam Burns, had a similar blow, and Westwood watched as he went to the hole and died to the right and finally.

The Englishman, who has smelled the great championship many times throughout the year, wrapped him clean and thought he hit him dead in his heart. But at the last second, the Westwood stroke moved left and burned the edge. One premature meant that Westwood would join Ryan Fox as the only two players who would return home to 29 in Open, both happened in Royal Portrush.

“It was a nine good back, it wasn’t like that. The last point, I’m not sure how missing,” Westwood said after shooting 69 to enter the house in five under. “As soon as I started doing good shakes from 7 to really. Then I was watching wow, I feel like I could have any birds. Just tell you you have to be patient and never give up, or not?

“Patience is the key sometimes, and 52 years old, I have a lot of knowledge of my golf swing, and I realized, I realized quickly.”

Westwood said he was unaware of his possible history of ninth history, while he was getting his result with Burns after the round and saw that “29” was lit. He did not know the size of his burning edge in 18, and, on this matter, he was not deceived that he was denied a place to stay only open story.

“No. I am not so worried. I would have taken 29 in the ninth rear standing at 10,” Westwood said with a man’s smile in full control of his golf ball for the last three hours of Saturday’s round.

“I knew I was playing well. I had it in a wire and hitting it at all the right points. Nice nice to play Golf like him when you are not thinking.”

Westwood turned a potential train on Saturday into one for open record books. She 29 with gas will make her enter the last round of Sunday a back hook of the ninth place and four shots back of the fourth. A Top-10 conclusion will guarantee Westwood a trip to Open next year to Royal Birkdale, which he counts among his favorite courses in the world. A fourth high end would take it a ticket to all four diplomas in 2026.

But none of them will be on Westwood’s mind on Sunday along the northern Ireland coast.

Westwood is not thinking about what it is afterwards – the future has not overcome the mind as that medal on the Dundonald Links qualifiers to enter Royal Portrush. Westwood is simply giving in the splendor of the open championship, a warmth that cannot be copied, and the one hoping to feel again.

Sunday for Westwood will be to live at the moment. He will not violate the topic by anticipating a day where he goes crazy and steals the title from a Scottie Scheffler obstacle. He will not disturb a poor chip or a lost blow that makes him not fall into 2026 big trips.

“I have set no goal for this week at all,” Westwood said.

Westwood, one of the old golf lions, will take another loop around the open championship on Sunday and think not for a possible 91st starter in Birkdale next year, but for the happiness of golf that surrendered only four days a year.

“I was just saying it’s the best walk to Golf, the 18th Green walk in the open,” Westwood said.

It’s a walk he will take to do at least once more.