LEE WESTWOOD is trying to overcome severe pre-Ryder Cup nerves - his son's!

Sam, 19 years old, will be caddying at Whistling Straits for Westwood, while Helen, the player's spouse, will take her place amongst the European Wags.

Lee and Sam are thought to be the first father/son team to compete in a Ryder Cup.

And Westwood, 48, said that his son's "knees were knocking" at the prospect. He has also caddied at The Masters for his dad.

Worksop wonder Westy stated: "Forget The Masters. This is on a completely different scale.

"Sam is nervous like a kitten, and this is a rare instance of a player trying his best to calm down his caddie. He'll be fine after I hit my first shot.

"It's been an enjoyable distraction for me, and an additional incentive -- not like you need one at the Ryder Cup. What dad wouldn't want his son to be impressed?

Helen has her own army in the States.

After Westwood's win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and Players Championship earlier in the year, American broadcasters clamored to have her on their chat shows.

Although the shouts directed at her were almost all flattering, there are likely to be more boozed up American fans ready and waiting to throw abuse at anyone in Europe this week.

Helen insists that she did not decide to be a caddie for the ultimate team event in golf, which starts on Friday.

She stated, "From my point-of-view, I already have the golden ticket that we receive as wives and partners.

"And Sam wouldn't be able to watch Lee this week because of the travel restrictions."

Lee is the oldest player to ever qualify for either side of the table, and that's a huge achievement. It's something we all want to share.

"And who knows, he could even qualify for Rome in 2023. If he does, I will definitely be his caddie."

Westwood is considered a sure bet to win the captaincy for Rome, and has already entered the fray.

He would be happy to wait until he proves he is still one of the top 12 European golfers, especially after being named European No. 1 just nine months ago.

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According to the world No. 35: "Everyone was writing off me when I failed in 2018 to make it into the team." They were wrong about me once.

"I would definitely play if I was able to qualify again for 2023." Ryder Cups are a career highlight that every golfer should not miss.

If Westwood wants to add more clips to his highlights reel in Wisconsin, he will have to rediscover the early-season spark that made him shine.

He insists that he is still a spark, even though he hasn't been in the top 20 for six months.

He said, "The problem was that I lost my original schedule when I was close to being selected for the team and started playing far too many golf games in pursuit of qualifying points.

"This recent resurgence in my game has been due to careful planning. I picked and chose the tournaments and courses that I want to do my best at, and didn't overdo it.

"That was because of necessity -- I am 48 years old, not 28!" As the race for team spots became more competitive, that policy was abandoned. My form also suffered.

"But I still hit the ball well. Even though my results aren't as good lately, I still hit the ball great.

"And the best thing about this week is that there's no penalty for a bad hole in match play.

"I am confident that I can win my fair share of golf and make my share in birdies."

"If I could make fewer stupid mistakes and not give away any holes cheaply, I believe I could have a week to be remembered."