Lee Westwood has suggested that will have to produce the goods on a golf course that does not suit his game if he wants to guarantee becoming Race to Dubai champion.
The 19-time European Tour event winner and
Ping golf equipment user has only the Dubai World Championship to overhaul the 128,172 gap to current leader Rory McIlroy.
Westwood made a strong start at the Earth Course in the UAE by firing a six-under-par 66 to sit in a share of second spot with Chris Wood and Camilo Villegas, who plays with
Cobra golf equipment, one shot adrift of Robert Allenby.
However, following the round, Westwood noted that he tends to prefer courses with rough running alongside the fairways.
He said: "If I was going to set up the course perfectly for me there would be rough. But I can't have everything, can I? You just have to play whatever is in front of you and that's what I am trying to do.
"There's enough trouble out there with sand and stuff and I think I've proved with the strength of my driving that if you're a good, long, straight driver then you can shoot good scores around here."
The 36-year-old knows what it is like to taste the success of topping the European Tour money list, having accomplished the feat in 2000.
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