Westwood says GB&I are underdogs

Great Britain & Ireland have been supremely dominant since their continental counterparts won the inaugural contest in 2000. In the absence of Luke Donald, Westwood will spearhead the bid for a sixth victory.

Even without third-placed Rory McIlroy, GB&I still have the two highest-ranked golfers with Ian Poulter 18th in the world, while they also have Open champion Darren Clarke in the team.

However, Continental Europe’s strength comes in the form of Anders Hansen, Francesco Molinari and Thomas Bjorn at 25th, 26th and 27th in the world – three of five players in the top 40 compared to GB and Ireland’s four.

And with the majority of the St-Nom-La-Breteche crowd behind them, Westwood believes that tips the balance in favour of Continental Europe despite them having not won since the event was first staged in 2000.

“I don’t know whether it’s [the GB and Ireland team] invincible,” said Westwood. “I think on paper the European side have got [more] players higher in the world rankings and I suppose with that they are slight favourites.

“It will be hard for GB and Ireland with the European team having all that home support. But I think a lot of the British players have played a lot of matchplay golf over the years and might have a few tricks up their sleeves.”

Westwood, making his first appearance in the event since 2003, is a Ryder Cup veteran and looking forward to playing in a team competition again. The 38-year-old is getting back into gear following a much-needed break after August’s US PGA, but does not feel the lay-off has affected his consistency.

And on the event itself, he added: “It’s eight years since I played the Seve Trophy and obviously there’s a tinge of sadness this year with Seve [Ballesteros] passing away early in the year.

“But it’s a good line-up and I’m sure in the true Seve tradition it will be as competitive as ever. It a chance to honour Seve’s name as well.”