In his two previous starts in Abu Dhabi and Qatar he finished 17th and 12th respectively and never really looked like contending.

But it is not giving him sleepless nights. Ping G20 Tour Driver

An admitted slow starter, the Englishman rates his performance so far this season as "decent and good for me'' when compared with previous years

"I've normally had a missed a cut by now, and thrown in a 60th-place finish or something like that," Westwood told the media in Dubai on Tuesday.

"I'd say if I was making an appraisal of the first couple of weeks, I've hit it a lot better than I normally do. My short game is a little bit sharper than normal. Putts are quite nice, starting to roll a few longer ones in."

But Westwood admitted he has looked a bit rusty at times and that his short game could still do with more work. Certainly his 69 on Sunday was far from perfect, including as it did four bogeys. Ping G20 Tour Driver


"Just been sloppy, just early season sloppiness really, making too many bogeys and not making birdie when I should.

"Wedge shots haven't been quite as sharp as they ought to have been, not as close. So that's the reason I've been sort of in the position I've been in," Westwood added

This week, several other big guns will be in Dubai along with Westwood, including US Open champion Rory McIlroy, the World No 2, 4th-ranked Martin Kaymer and defending champion Alvaro Quiros, but so far it has not been the big guns doing the early damage on the tour.

Lesser mortals in the light artillery have been stealing most of the thunder, as little-known Brandon Grace, a 23-year-old South African, did by winning two of the first three tournaments of the season before 117th-ranked Robert Rock did in Abu Dhabi when he beat Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle in the final round.

And that was before blast from the past Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion whose ranking had slipped to 272 a year ago, stepped up at Doha Golf Club and won the Qatar Masters to charge back into that all-important Top 50 bubble

"I think Ping G20 Tour Driver shows the strength of the European Tour. We're very strong right now," Westwood pointed out in explanation