The Worksop golfer believes that the confidence boost he received at Torrey Pines, when he finished one shot off a play-off, will stand him in good stead for future events.

He told the Guardian: "Now I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season. My confidence is high and I'm looking forward to some really positive results."

His performances thus far have booked him a place in Nick Faldo's Ryder Cup team, and that achievement takes a weight off Westwood's mind and frees him up to chase another of this season's targets - the Order of Merit.

"It's great to have got my place in the Ryder Cup team secured so early so I don't have to think about that any more."

"And having won the Order of Merit in 2000, it would be great to achieve that again."

"It should be a good summer with plenty to look forward to," he added.

With just Miguel Angel Jiménez and Robert Karlsson ahead of Westwood in the Order of Merit, this weekend presents an opportunity for the third-placed Worksop golfer to take the top spot.

Europe's top three earners will all be in France this weekend for the €4,000,000 Open de France ALSTROM at Golf National in Versailles, and 32-year-old Westwood is looking forward to the challenge.

He said: "It is a fantastic golf course and the field this week is strong – probably one of the strongest they have had in years."

"This tournament ticks all the boxes: it's not far from Versailles, which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places you will ever visit; the golf course is great because it's tough and rewards good play; the prize money is massive, and the French Open is one of the oldest and respected Opens in Europe."

"I would love to win here. I have played well here in the past, so there is no reason why I can't play well this week and have a chance to win."

Westwood is keen to put the disappointment of missing a putt to for the US Open play-off behind him, and after almost two weeks of reflection he still looks on the tournament as a positive experience.

"Losing out on at least getting into the play-off for the US Open was a big disappointment, but it's important not to be too hard on myself."

"It's not that I did anything wrong, just that the breaks and the putts didn't go for me on the Sunday, so I came up one short."

"All in all, it was a very good week. I played well and consistently and wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be at the weekend. I was in control of myself, probably because of all the experience I have had."