OFF-FORM LEE WESTWOOD SACKS COACH PETER COWEN

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By JAMES CORRIGAN
Lee Westwood has wasted no time in making the radical changes he believes are necessary to recover his

The Englishman has parted company with his long-time coach and appointed a new caddie in the wake of his missed cut at the US PGA.

The split with Pete Cowen is a surprise. The Yorkshireman initially guided Westwood through the successful start of his career and, after leaving him and suffering a dramatic slump, the Worksop golfer returned to Cowen in 2006.
 Since then, Westwood has won a dozen titles, racked up seven top threes in the majors and reigned as world No 1.

But after flops in the last two majors, Westwood decided to act. “Lee admits he needed to shake things up because he’d lost his focus and his enthusiasm a bit, because he wasn’t getting the rewards for his long game,” said his manager, Chubby Chandler.

Westwood cut a frustrated figure when he left Kiawah Island with an eight-over total, despite having led the tee-to-green stats. His short game has once again ruined a campaign which started so promisingly with a tie for third at the Masters.

He was in contention at the US Open, before he eventually came 10th, but since the French Open at the start of July he has bafflingly lost his renowned consistency. Chandler explained the rational behind the decision to cut ties with Cowen, the much-vaunted adviser whose clients have won three majors in the last three years.

Parting company with Pete is because he’s passing on advice to Lee, but he’s not around to follow it through,” he said. “Lee is very structured about going to the gym, but not about practising – so when Graeme [McDowell] and Pete’s other players are booking him, Lee is leaving it late and is having to work around them.
“Pete was here for two days with Graeme this week when Lee wanted to work with him, so it just wasn’t working out. Lee’s the sort who needs someone standing over him, making him hit chip after chip and telling him what he’s doing wrong. It’s not like he’s got the yips or anything – he just needs to improve his technique.”
Westwood will try out a different coach in a five-day trial beginning the end of this week.
“Lee’s not going to have a long-game coach for the foreseeable future — there’s nothing wrong with that part of his game, as you could see from the fact that he topped the greens in regulation stats here,” he said.
“But we’re going to put a few things in place – including a new short game coach. This man is not one of the usual suspects – it’s someone a bit different.
“Lee needs to try something different with his chipping and putting – he’s never been the greatest chipper, but his putting also needs work, he knows that. When you miss the cut after that, it gets even more frustrating, and that probably brought matters to a head.”
Westwood will have a new man on the bag when he plays at next week’s Barclays Championship in New York. Michael Waite has been filling in for Billy Foster since he injured a knee, but Westwood will now use the Zimbabwean Mike Kerr for two months up to and including the Ryder Cup in Chicago. Kerr works for Alvaro Quiros, but the Spaniard is taking an extended break.