Lee Westwood opens up about having his wife caddying for him at The Open

LIV Golf star Lee Westwood has opened up on his choice to have his wife, Helen, caddie for him. Westwood, 52, looks to be hitting form at The Open, currently being held at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, after being a strong qualifier for the event.Following a solid start on Thursday, he currently finds himself tied for 20th on one under as a rain-soaked day two gets underway.

The golfer, who hit back after he faced criticism for his 2022 defection to the Saudi Arabian-funded circuit, is aiming to surpass his previous best Open result at St Andrews in 2010, where he ended up as runner-up. He also came in secondat the Masters in 2010 and 2016, as major glory continues to elude him. Yet it is his decision to hire his wife, Helen Storey, as a caddie that's caused nearly as much noise as those excruciating near misses.

The romance between Westwood and Storey began around 2015, and by 2017, Helen had already shouldered bag-carrying duties to support her partner. Speaking of the union, Westwood said to the BBC recently: "She wanted to do it. She loves the weather over here, the fact that she needs two pairs of hands and sometimes three."

He added: "No, she caddied for me in the qualifying, and I prefer to have her caddying for me whenever she can. We have a good record round here from finishing fourth six years ago. Yeah, it was an easy decision for me to make. Probably harder for her. She'd probably rather be at home riding a horse."

Speaking on The Therapy Crouch podcast, Helen touched upon what drew her to the task of being a caddie, despite not being all that familiar with the technical side golf, saying: "I knew I could handle the weight of the bag and what have you, but I didn't have a bloody clue what I was doing."

This domestic team-up proved fruitful as Westwood secured his 24th European Tour win just three tournaments into their partnership. He has also lauded Helen's presence for its calming effect during turbulent times on the course.

He explained: "Sometimes, when I'm kicking off and having a bit of a moan and a whinge, she looks at me and goes, 'Are you finished?'"

It's a partnership that clearly works, as observed by Bryson DeChambeau. The two-time US Open winner, 31, described Helen as Westwood's "secret weapon" back at the Players Championship in 2021, the year they wed in Las Vegas.

"I think Helen is a big part of his [recent] success," he said. "She's keeping him steady and level-headed and she's a rock. Keeps his mind focused on the right things, and she's been awesome for him, and that's one of his secret weapons, I think."

Westwood's 28th Open marks his first since 2022, the same year he left the PGA Tour to defect to LIV Golf. Targeting his maiden major, Westwood recently touched upon his love for Royal Portrush.

"I love The Open Championship and I love Portrush," Westwood said on Thursday. "It's one of the golf courses where if it wasn't The Open and somebody said, 'Do you want to go and play Portrush this weekend?' I'd probably go. And there's not many courses like that."