Lee Westwood may have been going for European Tour win number 24 heading into the weekend at the Made in Denmark but he insisted he was not thinking about an 11th consecutive Ryder Cup appearance.
The Englishman fired a bogey-free 65 to sit just two shots off the lead at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club in the final event before Captain Thomas Bjørn finalises his Team to take on the United States next month.
Westwood will be at Le Golf National as a Vice Captain and had a watching brief playing alongside potential Team Members Thorbjørn Olesen and Thomas Pieters as he played his first event in Denmark.
A victory this week would mean he has won in 14 different countries on the European Tour and that was his soul focus on a course where he was feeling comfortable.
“It was good today,” he said. “It’s a golf course that I really like. It’s not a case of pulling driver on every hole. Well you can if you want to but you need to be patient and strategic out there and I have done that well for the first two days and played really well.
“I think it’ll take more than that for me to get a pick! Our team is strong with so many good young players that they don’t need me.”
Alongside Westwood at 11 under was countryman Jonathan Thomason but the two are at very different points in their careers.
After coming through the Qualifying School in November, the man known as Jigger is battling to keep his playing privileges in his rookie season and was happy with a second-round 69.
“I had a good few opportunities out there, played some good golf but had some scrappy stuff in there as well but thankfully I managed to get out of there and I’m happy with where I am,” he said.
“I’m in a brilliant position heading into the weekend. I just have to go out there tomorrow and be me. I have been in this position once before but I am just going to take it all my stride and just enjoy it.”
