His drives are booming, his short game is sharp and he's feeling fit to fight. Never has Lee Westwood been better equipped to win a major than on the eve of the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. But this has been such a long time coming.

Westwood has plied his trade as a professional golfer for 15 years yet only now has the penny dropped as to what winning a major would mean.

That 'Road to Damascus' moment came at the climax to last month's US Open at Torrey Pines, when Westwood was a mere putt away from joining Rocco Mediate and eventual victor Tiger Woods in a play-off.

His consolation was a career-best finish in a major of third place and he said: "The whole experience left me more convinced than ever that I can win one of these things. I didn't realise how important majors were until I came close to winning one."

It is a shame that it only dawned on him at the age of 35 - and after winning 29 tournaments - that there is only one title that counts on a golfer's CV.

Woods realised there were great advantages to be gained from using gyms from an early age and the American's 14 majors show he has clearly benefited from a honed physique.

Yet it was only comparatively recently that Westwood committed himself to a serious programme of sports medicine, physiology and biomechanics.

He said: "I decided to get fitter because golf has changed. I needed to be bigger and stronger but I kept putting it off because I'm lazy by nature.

"Players in general are a lot stronger. You have to be able to hit it a long way and you have to gouge out of the thick rough. My increase in strength has probably added 10 to 12 yards in distance. I'm much stronger and fitter than I was and I've become more muscular.

"I haven't really been on a diet, just cut out crisps, biscuits, chocolate and don't drink much alcohol. I have a glass of wine now and again but tend to stay off it as it's full of calories. I've even lost six inches off my waist."

Where he has made spectacular gains is on and around the greens. Phil Mickelson has been a long-term disciple of short-game guru Dave Pelz and that partnership is a principle reason why the world No2 has won three majors. Westwood only took on short-game expert Mark Roe following a chance meeting at the Scottish Open 12 months ago.

Roe, a Tour winner but most famous for being disqualified over a scorecard mix-up while in contention for the Open in 2003, said: "Lee said to me 'if I had a short game like yours I'd have won three majors by now'.

And I told him he was probably right.

"Lee was very accepting of making changes because he knew his short game wasn't great. He had the mental capacity to adapt to what we were working on, and it paid dividends."

The record book confirms as much. In 13 starts on the European Tour this season, Westwood has finished second twice, third three times and he's been in the top 10 on eight occasions.

That's good but the new steely Westwood is no longer satisfied with merely contending.

He said: "It doesn't make me happy but there are huge positives in there. It's a fine line between using Torrey Pines as a confidence booster and lying in bed not being able to sleep because of the one that got away. I could see it as a negative and let it damage me but what's the point of it? I've always been a glass half-full man, anyway. The glass is only half empty when it's somebody else's round."

The joking stops tomorrow, when he steps up to the first tee. Westwood added: "Nothing breeds confidence like good results, and the shots are now going in as I pictured them.

"I don't think I've ever been as confident going into an Open."