Westwood refuses to let rain in Spain dampen his hopes

One of the more baffling aspects of a golfing season that has at certain times been surreal and at others sublime is the results sheet of one Lee John Westwood Esq. The Englishman's driving has never looked more consistent, his sort game has never looked more competent, his muscles have never looked more defined and his major chances have never looked more likely. Yet histrophy cabinet has never looked more bare. Strange. Here is a born winner without a "W" to his name.

All this may change, however, on this the last day of the 2008 campaign, which will also, weather permitting, double up as the final curtain call of the Volvo Masters after 21 years of deciding the Order of Merit. With 30 holes to play, Westwood is on four under, one behind the leaders, Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark and the hope of the home country, Sergio Garcia.

To lift his second Vardon Trophy – the first came when he was just 27 back in 2000 – Westwood must win the £562,000 first prize here and Robert Karlsson must finish no betterthan sixth. At least one part of that equation seems certain. Karlsson is on five over having played 11 holes of his third round, and is seven strokes off where he needs to be.

Indeed, Padraig Harrington could well emerge as Westwood's main rival today as, playing alongside Karlsson, he is just two over and on something of a charge, being three under for the round. It would take a monumental effort for Harrington to leap to the second place he requires to overhaul Karlsson, but if this year has proved anything it is that he is well capable of monumental efforts. And he is certainly heading in the right direction. After the first round he was in a tie for 43rd, this morning he will resume in a tie for 18th.

Along with Harrington, Westwood also showed that recoveries can be launched at Valderrama, having been three over after seven holes of his second round yesterday morningbefore firing seven birdies in his remaining 11 holes for a 68. Westwood is clear about his objective. "It's com-pletely narrowed down to one thing for me," he said. "And that's to win the golf tournament. That's the way I've played my whole career." If only Westwood had played his whole career in galoshes he would be odds-on.

The forecast is for more of the same waterproofed hell today. The organisers remain hopeful that they will be able to effect a 72-hole finish this evening and not have to go to an extra day. There are two reasons why they will be praying this happens. Firstly, so the big names in the field can make their flights to Shanghai tomorrow for the opening tournament of the "2009" schedule. And secondly, sothe decision not to turn the competitors straight around to go out again after they completed their second round yesterday does not return to haunt them.

Harrington was one of a number of pros wondering why, after finishing at 10am, he had more than a four-hour wait until teeing off again, with the conditions so benign and so much late rain predicted.

So why did the powers that be wait until the second round had finished to redraw and so send them out in three-balls off two tees? For TV to have the leaders out last? For the sanctity of the tournament? So that in the event of a 54-hole finish the winner of the tournament was not in the 10th-from-last group? Maybe, maybe, maybe. But none of it made sense to Harrington as he peered out over a drying course and spotted black clouds in the distance. "I can't understand why they wasted four holes," he said.

It was a valid point, as they would have got the majority of the third round finished yesterday and so given the Volvo Masters every chance of the classic Sunday dénouement that everyone here knows it deserves before the Tour enters its new era with the £12 million Race to Dubai next November. Of course, it would not be all the fault of the organisers. At least you can rely on the weather in the Emirates.