Westwood knocking on the door again, but can he finally open it?

Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Lee Westwood has his sights set on his first PGA TOUR win since 1998.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Almost all signs point to Lee Westwood not winning THE PLAYERS Championship.

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CAN WESTWOOD DO IT?: We've heard it before. Lee Westwood is on the verge of a breakthrough victory. Will it happen this time? Column PHIL'S FOCUS: Phil Mickelson heads into the final round thinking about winning rather than the spoils that come with it. Column MOTHER'S DAY MOTIVATION: Heath Slocum's wife won't be in Ponte Vedra Beach to see the final round, but she'll be on his mind. Story FIRST-TIMER: An unheralded first-time PLAYERS participant is lighting up the Stadium Course. Story NO. 17 ... EASY?: A surprising stat reveals that the 17th hole isn't as daunting as in years' past. Story DON'T COUNT 'EM OUT: If TPC Sawgrass or history has a say, plenty of players still have a shot at the title. Story CONTENDERS CHART: We break down every player within earshot of the lead going into the deciding day. Chart

• He's 0-for-America in the last 12 years.

• An Brit hasn't won this tournament in more than two decades.

• He's 0-for-51 in major championships and while this isn't a major, it's a major deal.

• Seventeen of the 28 winners of THE PLAYERS Championship have trailed going into the final round.

• He's Lee Westwood and this is what he does. He teases us. He tempts us. He's lures us in with the charming accent and a personality to match.

Not that any of this matters to Westwood, of course. Just a month ago, he actually cracked a smile and a joke in his post-round press conference after the final round of the Masters, even though he had the Green Jacket stolen from him.

Who does that? A guy who thinks not winning a golf tournament isn't the worst thing in the world, that's who. Maybe it was because he had it stolen, too.

"No, I don't feel any pressure," said Westwood, who shot a 2-under 70 Saturday to take a one-shot lead to the final round at TPC Sawgrass. "The only pressure is what you put on yourself, and I don't really put any pressure on myself to win here again.

"The only thing I try to do is perform as well as I know I can perform and peak at the right times for the big events. So far this year I've managed to do it two times in a row, so I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to win again over here, but it's not something I put pressure on myself to do."

Westwood is certainly right about his play. He's the first player in 33 years to own the 54-hole lead at the Masters and THE PLAYERS in the same year. He's also extremely comfortable with having the bulls-eye on his back, even if he has to keep getting up to dust himself off.

"I'm just really pleased with myself that I keep knocking on the door and getting in position," Westwood said. "Some of the golf I'm playing in some of the big tournaments is great stuff."

It was only a month ago that Westwood already had one arm in that Green Jacket. He shot 71 in the final round; Mickelson 67. Westwood didn't do much wrong that Sunday, but he took plenty away from it and here he is again, hoping not to learn one more time.

"I spent a couple weeks afterwards reflecting on it, how close I'd come," Westwood said. "I learned plenty of things about what to do at the right times and where my game needs to improve and learned a lot of stuff about myself. That's what experiences like that are all about."

Adam Scott knows what those experiences are like, too. He had a world of talent and expectation. He was going to be the next Tiger Woods. He was also one of the players who led THE PLAYERS going into Sunday and managed to hang on to win in 2004, despite hitting his approach shot into the water on the 72nd hole.

"It's really tough [to keep the lead Sunday] because it's a course that rewards good golf in a big way and if you struggle it's easy to make bogeys," Scott said. "If you're in the lead and you get a bit nervous and defensive, bogeys can come quick."

Late in Saturday's round Westwood sure didn't look nervous, even as he pushed his tee shot on the 18th hole to the right and his ball came to rest in a storm drain. Westwood took his drop, hit under one branch, over a tree and made his par.

"I think when you're playing well you don't really see the penalties," Westwood said. "You probably shouldn't. You should just see the middle of the fairway and the flag."

Despite his Masters heartache, Westwood continues to do just that. See the flag. Now he just hopes he can see the finish.

"It was nice to get back in the saddle so quickly," Westwood said. "I've got thoughts of the Masters fresh in my mind. I played pretty well the last day there, and if I had just done a couple of things slightly different at the right times, maybe the result would have been different."

Maybe this time it will be.