Westwood looks for fine finish, while Poulter seeks huge comeback

The two British buddies who shared the halfway lead had dramatically different experiences on Saturday. Yet both will tee off Sunday convinced they can win a Green Jacket for Mother England.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- God save the Queen, there’s still hope for England and his name is Lee of Westwood.

If Westwood and Ian Poulter were two ships passing in the north Atlantic on Saturday, Westwood was the Queen Mary and Poulter the Titanic.

Westwood sailed smoothly to a 4-under 68, while Poulter crashed, making a mess of the par-3 12th, which he double bogeyed on his way to a 74 that largely sank any possibility of victory in a Masters Tournament he’s dreamed of winning since he was a small boy in the mother country.

There’s still a chance of survival, of course, for Poulter, who is six shots back entering the final round -- the same deficit Sir Nick Faldo faced when entering the last 18 holes in 1996, which just happens to be the last time a Brit slipped into the Green Jacket.

“I’ve got a chance,” said Poulter, who sounded like he was trying to convince even himself. “You saw what guys were doing on the golf course. There were roars all around.”

Unfortunately for Poulter, many of those roars were reserved for Westwood, who at one point staked a five-stroke lead. It took a spectacular eagle-eagle-birdie run by Phil Mickelson to change that.

“I was well aware that somebody was making a charge, and I figured it was Phil,” Westwood said. “That's what major championships are about. They are tough ones to win, because people, great players do great things at major championships.”

Westwood has a chance to become one as he enters the final round on the precipice of his first career major championship after coming so painfully close in the 2009 British Open. It was there, at Turnberry, where Westwood took a two-shot advantage to the final nine, only to give them all back and then some, capped with a three-putt bogey on the 72nd hole on which Westwood believed he needed birdie.

He didn't and missed out on a playoff with Tom Watson and Stewart Cink by a lousy stroke. Afterward, he collapsed his head into the arms of his wife, Laurae, and wept.

At the time, Westwood, who would go on to tie for third at the PGA Championship, said he went from frustration to sickness. Now he has a chance to make England cry tears of joy.

“I think when you go through a slump, it's -- the first time I played well, it was easy to take it for granted because I was young and I didn't really -- I had not really experienced any poor play,” Westwood said. “Now I've experienced both ends of the spectrum, and you learn to appreciate things more as you get older and the more good times and bad times you've been through.”

You also learn how to handle a lead, apparently even if you’ve never held one after 54 holes of a major and even if it means being paired with Mickelson, who will have the full support of the gallery as he pursues a third career Green Jacket.

Westwood said he slept well Friday night, when he had a share of the top spot with Poulter, and will again Saturday.

“There's nothing like not having to set an alarm clock,” Westwood said, referring to his late afternoon tee time in the day’s final group.

Westwood also won't deviate from what has worked so well for him the first three days -- keeping the ball in play and attacking what have been easier pins than in years past.

“That's a mistake people have made before is to have a number in mind,” Westwood said. “[My strategy] is very boring, I'm just going to go out and keep playing to my game plan. We'll go from there and see what happens. Try and hole the odd putt, not make too many mistakes and see what the situation is at 7:00 tomorrow night.”

As Westwood sat in the media center Saturday night, reflecting on the day’s events when his lead went from four to just one in the span of some 40 minutes, he said it was “one of those great days in golf.”

Sunday, it has a chance to be even better. For England.