Westwood reign could be short

Retaining the No. 1 ranking in the World will be hard for Lee Westwood in 2011. Not only because of those chasing him, but also because he will be giving up the opportunity to maximize points in each tournament he plays having chosen to play on the European Tour rather than the PGA Tour in 2011.
The 37-year-old Englishman said he will put his family first in 2011 and base himself on the European Tour despite the many more millions of dollars to be won competing for the FedEx Cup.
His only trips to America next year will be for the majors and World Golf Championships, and occasional tournaments which might help him prepare for them, he said.
“I’m not taking my card up in the States,” Westwood said recently at the Dunhill Links Championship. “I don’t want to get into a situation where I have to play events in America just to make up 15 needed for tour membership.
“The FedEx Cup sits right in the middle of the kids’ summer holidays and I like going on holiday with them for a couple of weeks. I don’t want to be dictated to by having to play, having to go to America to play FedEx Cup when it doesn’t really mean that much to me.
“It doesn’t mean enough to me, anyway.”