Is Westwood developing a killer instinct?

Westwood wins Ballantine's Championship

As Prince William and Kate Middleton gripped the nation on a memorable long weekend, it was only fitting that Lee Westwood should choose to wrap it all up in a giant English flag – a second consecutive victory in the space of two weeks proved just why he has been crowned the new king of world golf.

Westwood arrived at the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea last week, on the back of his impressive three-shot victory at the Indonesian Masters, needing a top-five finish or better to reclaim his place at the summit of the golfing world. After a disappointing opening round of 72, Westwood was inspired by the scenes at Westminster Abbey on Friday to card rounds of 68, 69 and 67 for a one-shot victory over Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez.

When Westwood last assumed the mantle from Tiger Woods in October 2010, in a 17-week long reign, critics from across the pond were quick to question how he could have possibly reached the top spot without having won a major championship - and our frustrated American cousins were out in force once again last week, unfairly suggesting the Englishman beat a bunch of 'nobodies' in Jakarta to reclaim his place as world number one.

Yet what some US journalists seem to forget is that the world golf ranking system rewards consistency rather than titles scattered throughout a career – and that is exactly why our European three-ball of Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald continue to look down on a distinctly un-American top 10 world ranking list.

Westwood leading, still proceeding

Sure, Westwood beat one of the weakest fields of the year at the Asian Tour’s Indonesian Masters, and if truth be told, he was probably only there to pick up a hefty appearance fee - yet he was still the first player in many years to have arrived at a tournament knowing he had to win to become world number one and actually pull it off.

Westwood blew away Indonesian field

It might not have been the Masters in April he was after but he'll take it. The change from belly putter to conventional putter worked wonders for Westwood as he ended a fraught couple of months on the greens to shoot four consecutive sub-par rounds for the first time since winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December 2010 - a final-round 69 proved to be the icing on the cake for the Englishman as he celebrated his 38th birthday in style.

And he lived up to his billing as world number one with a stunning final round comeback at the Ballantine’s Championship on Sunday. He continued to pour in the putts by carding a flawless final round of 67, the best of the day, for a narrow one-shot victory over his Ryder Cup compatriot and close friend Jimenez – and in this sort of form, regardless of his rivals, you have to believe the 35-time professional winner has finally found that killer instinct.

Westwood is one of the most sublime ball strikers in the world and if he can maintain his new-found confidence with the flatstick over the next three months, as we approach a busy period including the US Open at Congressional and British Open at Royal St George's, he will surely have every chance of silencing the doubters who continue to heckle him about his major hoodoo.

Continental comforts

The Worksop golfer, who remained loyal to the European Tour alongside world number two Kaymer and world number seven Rory McIlroy earlier this season, is likely to stir up more hatred across the Atlantic after failing to commit to the PGA Tour's flagship event of the season at The Players Championship in two weeks time.

Westwood wins St.Jude last year

As a non-member of the US Tour, Westwood was restricted to compete in just three regular PGA Tour events outside the majors and WGCs - and having already competed for the Honda Classic and the Houston Open, as well as declaring himself eligible for his title defence of the FedEx St.Jude before the US Open in June, he was left with no alternative but to cut Sawgrass from his schedule.

Whether people like it or not, the 38-year-old is a flagship bearer for the European Tour and a key asset in promoting the game to other parts of the world, which is why he spent the last two weeks of his season in golfing-mad Asia.

The world number one also believes being based in Europe allows him to devote more time to his family and as a result, keeps him ticking over when things aren't always heading in the right direction. He is a credit to the European Tour and has never opted to chase the dollar despite the $10 million lure for winning the PGA Tour's season-long FedExCup race.

For the first time in years, the sport is enjoying a hotly-contested fight for the coveted world number one spot - gone are the days when all we had to do was close our eyes and think of a stripey jungle cat to get the answer. It would seem some Americans are not happy to accept Westwood simply because they are still in a state of shock at their rapidly-diminishing status in the world game. Perhaps they should leave our Mr Consistency alone and start picking holes in their own under-performing stars.