GOLF: During the lean times, and there were many, those close to Lee Westwood would sit him down and remind him that, "form is temporary, class is permanent". Until just over a month ago, such words of wisdom seemed hollow, almost unbelievable.

Then, out of nowhere, came a win - in the BMW International - in a season that had featured eight missed cuts, and, yesterday, at the home of golf, things got even better as Westwood scooped the €705,093 top prize in claiming the Dunhill Links title.

It would seem that the resurrection of Westwood, aided and abetted by swing guru David Leadbetter, is now complete. In playing 72 holes over three different links here, he incurred just one bogey - at the second hole in yesterday's final round over the Old Course - but, more importantly, scrounged 19 birdies and an albatross in running up a total of 21-under-par 267, sufficient to claim a one-stroke win over Ernie Els.

The albatross had come at Kingsbarns in Saturday's third round when he holed out with his four-iron approach of 218 yards at the par five ninth, his last hole. And, of all the shots, it was the one that most signified the change in fortune that has recently embraced the player.

From someone who had fallen so far down the world rankings that he couldn't even get into this year's US Open and had to rely on an invitation to play in the US PGA, Westwood's revival is the stuff of fairytales; but also of hard work.

Professionals don't like to use the "s" word, of being in a slump, but that's where Westwood was until recently.

"I'd doubts about my game, and where I was going, as recently as the three tournaments I played in America only eight weeks ago," Westwood insisted. "It's a natural thought to worry, and wonder if you will ever come out of a slump. But when you're stood on the range six or seven hours a day, and graft and graft, you believe you can go out there and play."

Yesterday, Westwood carried a one-shot lead over Darren Clarke and Raphael Jacquelin into the final round and, while Clarke created chance after chance but failed to take them, the main danger to the Englishmen came from South African Els, who contrived to finish birdie-birdie in a round of 64.

On the 17th, with 178 yards to the pin, he was conscious not to bring the Road Hole bunker into play, and so gave it "some steam" with his six-iron approach which finished 35 ft from the hole.

When Els sank the putt, he thought to himself, 'Yes, Big Ern!' and, then, at the last he played a 50-yard pitch to five feet and holed the birdie putt to prompt a roar from the gallery which resounded back down the course to Westwood.

While Els waited patiently in the recorder's cabin in case there was a play-off, Westwood simply finished the job he had started out to do.

Apart from one blemish, on the second hole where he hit his tee-shot into a pot bunker and could only play out sideways, Westwood was very much the dictator of his own destiny. In fact, he recouped that dropped shot immediately by birdieing the third, and then hit a golden patch around the turn with three consecutive birdies from the eighth and two more at the 12th and 13th.

Five birdies in six holes had moved him to 21-under, and made the title his to lose rather than for others to win.

Over the past three years, Westwood may have been brittle under pressure; but those days are over, and the old fortitude that had yielded 15 previous European Tour titles - and, of course, made him Europe's number one in 2000 - was on display as he ground out five successive pars over the closing holes to claim a title which he said was "right up there" with his previous successes.

"I always find it hard to separate them, they all take a lot of winning. But this one at St Andrews is special. People said I didn't have the game for links golf, but I've proved them all wrong.

"I am thrilled and delighted. It moves me up the world rankings, moves me up the Order of Merit and gives me massive Ryder Cup points for next year as well.

"I've just got to keep going and plugging away and working hard with David (Leadbetter)."

His latest win catapulted Westwood up to fourth in the Order of Merit - sneaking ahead of Padraig Harrington - and, instead of having a week off as was originally planned, also got him into the field for this week's $5 million American Express Championship in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Sam Torrance, last year's European Ryder Cup captain, partnered his 15-year-old son, Daniel, to victory in the team event. "What Daniel did this week was incredible," insisted the proud father. "I could never have gone out there and teed it up at 15. He was as cool as a cucumber and played like God every day. He shot 73, 70, 68, 67- I mean, fantastic, for anyone.

"Of course, I knew his potential, but this week showed me it."

Young Torrance wants to turn professional once he turns 16 next year, a situation Sam described as "tender . . . he is only just a baby and he has so much potential it is scary. He's aggressive and he is very good."