It could be a memorable 38th
birthday on Sunday for the Briton, who will top the rankings if he lifts the
title and compatriot Luke Donald fails to win at the Heritage tournament in
South Carolina.
The Englishman boosted his
prospects by firing five birdies and a lone bogey at the Royale Jakarta Golf
Club for a share of eighth, two strokes behind Bangladesh's Siddikur Rahman.
"I'll let things take
their course and see what happens at the end of the week. Like I said before,
I'm here to win a golf tournament," he told reporters.
Westwood, who was world
number one for 17 weeks until German Martin Kaymer replaced him in February,
has struggled with his short game, finishing tied 11th at the US Masters this
month, and reckoned the problem was not yet over.
"I played solidly but I
was a bit frustrated out there. It has been the story for me so far, hitting it
great from tee to green and giving myself a lot of chances but not taking
them," he said.
Westwood, who swapped his
short putter for a longer one at Augusta, said he was still getting used to the
belly putter.
"I've used the belly
putter in two rounds at Augusta and it's the first time I'm using it here since
2004 so it needs some getting used to," he said.
"I'm playing well and
confident of familiarizing myself on the golf course." The day belonged to
Siddikur, who claimed to be overawed after being drawn with Westwood but showed
no signs of it by firing a 66 to grab the opening round lead.
"I saw the draw
yesterday (Wednesday) and was feeling a bit excited playing with one of the best
players in the world. I have to admit I felt a bit shaky this morning playing
with Westwood," he said.
At the end of the first
round, Siddikur was one shot ahead of a six-man chasing pack, which included
Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng.
