Lee Westwood is feeling confident and revitalised as he returns to a former winning venue in Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club ahead of the 2020 English Championship.
The World Number 37 is the highest ranked player in the field at the same venue where he claimed the English Open title in 1998 and will be hoping to make his experience count as the European Tour marks its return to the Hertfordshire course for the first time this century.
The 25 time European Tour winner orchestrated the opening event of the six week UK Swing to kick off the reshuffled 2020 schedule during the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood at Close House.
He finished 70th overall in Newcastle before taking a break last week, but the 47-year-old is feeling optimistic about his game as he hopes to roll back the years.
"I’m feeling good. I obviously played a couple of weeks ago at Close House, took last week off and it’s nice to be back at somewhere where you’ve won round," Westwood said.
"It was a long time ago, I can’t remember a lot of it but I do remember hitting a few longer clubs into some of these holes. It’s playing a little bit shorter today.
"It’s already very dried out. The only water that’s going to go on it is the water that the European Tour put on it to control it and keep it alive.
"It’s very firm outside the landing areas. The fairways and greens are receptive but once you get outside that, it’s very bouncy.
"I think shots off-line are going to be heavily penalised. You’ll have no control over where it goes and no control over your second shots out of the rough either, there are a lot of flying lies out here."
