Top golfer says sorry for Qatar curse

Lee Westwood was forced to apologise after his mum caught him swearing on live television at last week's Qatar Masters, the world number three said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred during the 38-year-old Briton's closing 69 on Sunday, a round that left him in a tie for 12th place behind tournament winner Paul Lawrie who finished on 15-under-par.

"My mum was the first person on the phone and she said you might want to apologise," Westwood told reporters ahead of this week's Dubai Desert Classic.

"I didn't think that down at four-under-par I would be on TV. It's amazing how sensitive these microphones are."

After the conversation with his mum, Westwood issued an immediate apology on his Twitter account.

"Sorry about swearing on the 16th tee. Came off like a rocket and thought it was going further! Wash my mouth out! Perils of live tv!", he wrote.

Westwood, who also finished in a tie for 17th at the Abu Dhabi Championship two weeks ago, said he had mixed feelings about his early-season form.

"If I was making an appraisal of the first couple of weeks, I've hit it a lot better than I normally do," he explained.

"My putts are quite nice, I'm starting to roll a few longer ones in, but it's just been early-season sloppiness really, making too many bogeys and not making a birdie when I should.

"My wedge shots also haven't been quite as sharp as they ought to have been."

Westwood said he would need to be accurate off the tee at the Dubai Desert Classic starting on Thursday.

"Normally they grow the rough up a little bit here," he said. "They've also got the greens firm so it puts a bit of a demand on hitting the fairways."