It took 52 years for a player from the British Empire to win a Masters. But then in a nine-year span (1988-96), it happened five times.
With Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter tied for the lead at the midway point of the Masters, there’s reason to believe that a green jacket will be headed back to England for the first time in 14 years. With Westwood ranked No. 4 in the world and Poulter ranked No. 7, they are in the prime of their respective careers and ready to win their first major championship.
Both have been close. Westwood, 36, finished third in the last two majors and was third in the 2008 U.S. Open. Poulter, 34, was second to Padraig Harrington in the 2008 British Open. Westwood is 7-under-par on the par 5s in the first two rounds while Poulter is 6-under.
Can one put his name alongside the legends of a generation ago – Scot Sandy Lyle (1988), Welshman Ian Woosman (1991), and three-time champion Nick Faldo (1989, ’90, ’96).
The current stars claim inspiration from the heroes of the previous generation.
“I can vividly remember Woosie’s tartan trousers as that putt went in on 18 and he bent down on one knee to give that fist pump,” said Poulter. “How cool was that.”
