Chubby Chandler
stands guard over
Lee Westwood’s golf
bag during a practice
round at Congressional Country Club.
CHUBBY
CHANDLER’S
WIDENING
INFLUENCE
BY
ANDREW “CHUBBY” CHANDLER IS A
BIG AND USUALLY BEAMING PRESENCE,
a man who says what he thinks and does
not seem to mind if his players do the same.
“I wouldn’t have done,” he chuckles. “I
mostly sign up my players before they
reach the age of 20. That way, they’re
easier to guide.”
As you would expect, he is as in-
teresting as anyone on the sometimes
prickly nature of the friendly rivalry be-
tween Westwood and McIlroy.
Firstly, he captured just how close
the two of them are by recalling that
they chose to eat together four nights of
six in U.S. Open week – and breakfasted
together on the final morning.
“Lee,” he continued, “is the senior
partner. He needled Rory a bit at the start
and it’s fair to say that Rory couldn’t handle
it in his first year.” (In fairness, that still appeared to be the case when Westwood used
his greater experience to “boss” his way
past his young challenger at the 2009 Race
to Dubai.)
The situation today, however, is that
McIlroy gives as good as he gets. And when
Westwood created a bit of stir with A
Rory McIlroy shares a moment with Chandler after his U.S. Open victory.
