Augusta Makes Me Feel Like 'Someone Who Smokes 60 Cigarettes' - Helen Westwood
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Lee Westwood's wife and caddie Helen has described the extremities of the undulations at Augusta National, saying she feels like someone who smokes 60 cigarettes a day after walking the hilly course.
In particular, Helen hates walking the 8th hole as the long par-5, the course's longest hole at 570 yards, is uphill the entire way. "Augusta is definitely the toughest course I’ve caddied on, and the thought of going up 8 always fills me with absolute dread,” she told the Sun. "Honestly, it slopes up at about a 45-degree angle the whole length of the hole. I’m a fitness instructor but by the time I get to that green I’m totally out of breath. I feel like someone who smokes 60 cigarettes a day!”
She also joked how husband Lee's bag was so heavy compared to Shane Lowry's that she thought he put a couple of bricks in it.
“People don’t realize how hilly Augusta is, because you don’t get a proper perception of all the ups and downs from TV. Before we start, I always go through the bag asking stuff like, ‘Do you really need this water bottle? There’s water on every tee’. We played a practice round recently with Shane Lowry and I lifted his bag and mine was much heavier. I’d swear Lee was hiding a couple of house bricks or a few iron weights in there if I didn’t check it so thoroughly.”
Helen and Lee tied the knot in June 2021 in Las Vegas prior to the US Open at Torrey Pines. The Englishman currently ranks 65th in the world.
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Elliott Heath is our Senior Staff Writer and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016. He graduated in Sports Journalism in 2016 and currently manages the Golf Monthly news, courses and travel sections as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Elliott has interviewed some huge names in the golf world including Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn, Bernd Wiesberger and Scotty Cameron as well as a number of professionals on the DP World and PGA Tours. He has also covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as three Open Championships including at Carnoustie in 2018 when he was inside the ropes with Tiger Woods. He has played 31 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Old Head and Alwoodley. He currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey, where his handicap index floats anywhere between 4-6. His golfing highlight is making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, and he has made one hole-in-one.
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Honma TR20
3 wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max
2 iron: Mizuno MP-18 MMC Fli-Hi
Irons: Mizuno MP5 4-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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