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By Kent Gray
Lee Westwood is swinging it as sweetly as the accumulation of 26 years of European Tour “aches and pains” will allow but it’s a fresh mental approach that will have his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship rivals wary.

A “stress-free” 68 on Thursday has seen the Tour’s career money leader negotiate 36 holes of The National course with a solitary bogey to be two shots adrift of halfway leader Shane Lowry.

With partner Helen on his bag, the €36 million (and counting) man has cast himself in the unusual role of smiling assassin in the $7 million Rolex event and is edging ever closer to backing up a win in his second to last start at November’s Nedbank Challenge with a 25th European Tour triumph.

“Yeah, I’m not really worrying too much about it and almost not bothered with the outcome,” Westwood revealed after moving into sole position of fourth place on the leaderboard at -10.

“I’m just working on little things in my swing that I know make me play well, and I’ve been doing some good work on the greens with Phil [Kenyon]. I’m seeing the ball start on the lines that I pick a lot more often.

“I’m a good reader of greens, especially grainy greens. I guess that’s why I’ve done so well in Asia and the Middle East. I’m starting it on the line I’ve picked with a good roll, coming off the middle of the putter. You can’t control whether it goes in or not, but you can control whether or not you make a good stroke.”

Westwood played three rounds in Dubai with son Samuel in the New Year which is his most rigorous off-season in years.

“I didn’t feel quite so rusty coming in here. I’ve been doing a bit of gym workout through the winter, although this pot belly wouldn’t suggest that. But I’m feeling pretty fit, as fit as a 45 year old can be that’s been out here 26 years.

“Got the odd ache and pain, but feel like I’m swinging it well, and I was keen for the season to start. It was nice to come out and shoot a couple of good scores to kick it off in good style.”

If the former world No.1’s driver keeps co-operating his like for grainy greens will make him a threat over the weekend as his second round 68 illustrated.

“Hit a lot of good shots, drove the ball pretty well. Like I said yesterday, these fairways aren’t the easiest to hit. You’ve got to cross some angles, and they seem to have narrowed them a bit, so you’re going to miss a few.

“I seemed to be in the semi quite a lot. I guess my driving stats didn’t look brilliant, but I wasn’t far off the fairways and had pretty good control of the ball most of the day. I putted nicely again. Three-putted the 18th, my ninth hole, but other than that, rolled some nice ones in and hit a lot of good putts that just grazed the edge, so I was pleased with the way that I played.”