With a share of The Open Championship lead heading into the back nine, the unlikely case for the veteran Englishman was being made. It turned out there were more cracks in that theory than the Giant’s Causeway.
Nine holes later, as he signed his card, he trailed Shane Lowry by eight shots.
It wasn’t as if Westwood imploded but in perfect, calm scoring conditions and with the Irishman sprouting wings, standing still meant going backwards and for the 46-year-old moving day meant going backwards.
A run of three successive birdies on the front nine conjured a fleeting image of a Claret Jug with Westwood’s name on it but it all began to go wrong on the tenth when he sprayed his drive wildly right and the search parties were despatched.
It wasn’t quite a job for a St Bernard but the ball took some finding – not surprising really as it was under a bush and down a rabbit hole.
In Alice’s Adventures the rabbit hole leads to Wonderland but in Westwood’s Adventures it led to a penalty drop.
The rules official, called in to clear up the situation, was made good use of by the Englishman. “Right, you’re closest, grab it,” he said.
The fun and games ended with a bogey, the momentum of the Westwood’s front nine was stymied and with the roars for Lowry ringing in his ears from the group behind he never found it again. As he drifted down the leaderboard normal service for the nearly man of Major Championships was resumed.
This is Westwood’s 82nd Major. His contention is that he is past caring whether he wins one or not after so much heartache in the past.
That feigned indifference sounds suspiciously like a mental construct. The prize that has eluded him throughout a wonderful career? Pull the other one.
The bright start to his 25th Open Championship had raised hopes that he could do a Darren Clarke and finally win a Major when the ship looked to have sailed. It is the hope that kills you.
The freewheeling fun of the first two days, when it looked like he was on a romantic stroll around Portrush with his caddie and girlfriend Helen Storey gave way to the stress of a weekend back nine in contention.
The dinner menu chat and holiday planning gave way to a tense silence as the tension ramped up.
After the rabbit hole came a tentative three-putt at the par-five 12th and wasted a chance to get the stroke back.
He had opportunities later too but the putts refused to drop. He was doubled over with frustration at the 14th and when his old Achilles heel, the short miss, resurfaced at the next hole and he bogeyed Westwood looked a beaten man.
Sixth place would not ordinarily be out of it but the daylight Lowry opened up, relegates it to another postcode.
It will need the mother of all charges to close the gap and the reality is Westwood finds himself too far away at eight under to launch it.
There will be an Englishman hanging onto Lowry’s coattails in the final group in the shape of Tommy Fleetwood but the old man must resign himself to another year of frustration.