Lee Westwood went into the final round of the 108th US Open at Torrey Pines last night in the final pairing with Tiger Woods and with history beckoning on two fronts. The Englishman was seeking to become the first Briton to lift the trophy since Tony Jacklin 38 years earlier while at the same time bringing to an end a record that had seen Woods win all 13 of the major championships in which he had led going into the final round.

After a spectacular closing sequence of holes in the third round here on Saturday, Woods once again found himself astride the leaderboard, one shot ahead of Westwood and two ahead of Rocco Mediate, of the United States. Yet while the omens were not good for the rest of the field, it was plain to see that Woods, for once, was vulnerable.

He had surgery to remove damaged cartilage on his left knee nine weeks ago, had not played since and on several occasions could be seen wincing with pain. Limping throughout the week, it was said that he was winning on one leg. The question was: could the knee stand up for one more day? The early signs in the fourth round were not good.

And that was where Westwood was expected to come in. A player transformed in the past year, the former European No 1 has rediscovered his game and the zest to compete at the highest levels. At 35, and with 29 wins under his belt, his maturity shone through at Torrey Pines in his calm, measured approach.

With nine holes left to play of the final round, he held a one-stroke lead over Woods, who double-bogeyed the 1st for the third time in four days, and Mediate. Woods was struggling terribly with his knee but, as he does so often, he found a way to play.

Westwood also had the knowledge that he was one of a rare bunch to have beaten Woods in a tournament when trailing at the start of the final day. That was at the Deutsche Bank Open in 2000, when a final round of 64 secured victory by three strokes.

That year Westwood won five times on the European Tour - he also recorded two tour successes last year - and usurped Colin Montgomerie as the European No1. He climbed to No4 in the world - behind Woods, David Duval and Montgomerie - but inexplicably lost his way, at one point plummeting to No266.

Some said that he had lost the hunger to compete and had too comfortable a lifestyle. Westwood did not win again until the summer of 2003, but has steadily worked his way back. At the start of last week, he was at No20 in the world and reaping the benefits of a fitness regime that has seen him trim four inches off his waist and increase his power off the tee.

“I realised I needed to be bigger and stronger but I kept putting it off because I'm lazy by nature,” he said. “It wasn't a case that money had made me complacent. Golf has never been about money for me. The fun of it was in winning tournaments.” A long and straight driver of the ball, Westwood was often let down by an indifferent short game. But at the Open Championship last July, he was approached by Mark Roe, the former player and television pundit, who asked: “Could I give you a short-game lesson because I think I can cure some glaring faults.”

Now Westwood has a much more all-round game, one that held him in good stead at Torrey Pines. It was going to be tested to its full in the pressure-cooker environment associated with playing with Woods in front of huge, noisy galleries, but the 35-year-old said he would be unfazed.

“Five Ryder Cups prepares you for big occasions,” he said. “If you let it get to you, you'll have problems.” From the moment he won his first professional tournament, the Scandinavian Masters in 1996, Westwood had been spoken of as a potential major champion. But when his game went downhill, some doubted his resolve.

“I worked hard to get back to where I am and this is the reason I practise every day, but players are always rated on how many majors they have won,” he said. And, with nobody seriously thinking they can usurp Woods as world No1, can he see himself challenging for the No2 spot? “I'd like to get back to where I was before, No4 in the world,” he said. “Anything on from there would be a big bonus.”