Westy could still go higher

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Lee Westwood will have the chance next week to reach a new career high on the World Rankings list.

Lee Westwood will have the chance next week to reach a new career high on the World Rankings list.
Europe’s new number one plays his final event of the year at the Tiger Woods-hosted Chevron World Challenge in California and for the first time it will carry ranking points.
Ian Poulter, also part of the 18-strong field, had heard that it might not count again, but Tony Greer of the Official World golf Rankings has confirmed it meets the requirements.
All 18 players are in the world top 35 and with six of the leading 10 playing – Woods, Steve Stricker, Westwood, Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington and Kenny Perry – there could be as many as 52 points for the winner.
Stricker is the current number three just ahead of Westwood and will be under threat from the Worksop golfer, whose six-stroke victory at the Dubai World Championship took him back to fourth.
“Lee looks hungry for it,” said Poulter, whose own target is to move up from 13th into the top 10 for the first time.
“It’s nice to see. He’s got the bit between his teeth and is back to where he was 10 years ago.”
After the Chevron Poulter intends to work hard on his fitness in search of some extra distance before he starts next season.
“An extra 15 yards would be very handy,” said last year’s Open runner-up and top points-scorer at the Ryder Cup, who now stands sixth in the race for places in Colin Montgomerie’s team.
“Lee hits it a good 20 yards past me and when Rory (McIlroy) wanted to hit a big one when we played recently he was 30 yards ahead.
“He has another gear – very impressive.”
McIlroy, second on the money list and third in Dubai, has two events left in 2009 – this week’s World Cup and next week’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

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