Coach dubs Lewis 'the next Westwood'

As if Tom Lewis needed any more public promotion, his coach yesterday called him the new Lee Westwood. Pete Cowen oversees the swings of both Englishmen and the nerve displayed by the 20-year-old in his stunning maiden win on Sunday didn't surprise him.

"Tom wants to be one behind or one ahead on the back nine on Sunday afternoons," said Cowen, who also coaches the Open champion, Darren Clarke. "He reminds me of Lee Westwood in that regard. Like Lee, Tom's always said it wasn't painful to be under the cosh competing; it's what he loves."

While Westwood took 38 European Tour events to ditch the maiden tag, at the tender age of 20, Lewis (above) took just three to lift the Portugal Masters title which granted him a two-year exemption on Tour.

Lewis travels back to the Continent this evening to tee it up at the Castello Masters in Valencia. He will then take a week off before joining the world's best at the WGC HSBC Champions event in Shanghai – a tournament for which Tiger Woods failed to qualify – and will then play in the Barclays Singapore Open. He already boasts £400,000 on the money list and if he remains in the top 60 he will contest the Race To Dubai finale in December.

"The first thing I'll do with the money is pay off my phone bill which after Sunday will be pretty big," said Lewis yesterday.