Westwood gives McGinley a lift

Lee Westwood matched his best round in a Major and gave Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley a boost as he took an early share of the first-round PGA Championship lead with American Kevin Chappell at Valhalla last night.

With world No 1 and Open champion Rory McIlroy one of the last to start the final Major of the year yesterday in Kentucky, early starter Westwood made the most of his opportunity to throw down the gauntlet to the tournament favourite from Holywood.

Englishman Westwood carded a five-under-par 65 for his opening round, his best single round score in the US PGA Championship in his 17th appearance and matching the 65 he shot in the third round of the 2011 US Open at Congressional Country Club.

It was a round completed by four birdies in a row, the Major-less 41-year-old building on the final-round 63 he shot last Sunday at Firestone Country Club in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational that appears to have marked a turning point in a previously deeply disappointing season.

That will be hugely encouraging not just for Westwood but for Dubliner McGinley as he looks for Europe’s big guns to earn a place on his side to face the Americans at Gleneagles in late September rather than force his hand with his three captain’s picks, to be announced on September 2.

“I’m not in the team at the moment, but I’ve had chats with Paul and he said ‘try and show some form’,” Westwood said. “I don’t know whether he’s just looking for a reason to pick me, but I’ve shot 63 last Sunday and I’m leading a Major this week. So I’m ticking that box for him, and I think he probably looks back at my record and sees that I’ve played eight, so knows that I’ve got a fair amount of experience in Ryder Cups.

“I’m there or thereabouts [in the qualification standings]. I wouldn’t be a million miles away with a good week this week. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m still trying to qualify for the team to free up a pick for Paul. I don’t want to rely on a pick.”

Westwood’s opening 65 included a double-bogey six at the first hole and was followed by nine birdies and a single bogey.

“It’s my lowest round in a Major, making a double in there. It’s obviously a good round of golf. I’ve played better rounds of golf but I was really pleased with today.

“I hit a lot of quality iron shots, and it felt like 65 was a fair enough score for the way I played. I got a couple of bad breaks out there, but you know, I rolled a couple of putts in, like the one on nine that you probably wouldn’t expect to hole. But that’s just the way it is. A bit of momentum is a wonderful thing.”

Westwood was speaking as McIlroy began his quest for a third straight win after success at the Open and last week’s WGC-Bridgestone and if anyone is enjoying some momentum right now it is the supremely confident 25-year-old.

That may have taken a slight knock last night, however, as McIlroy faced into his back nine looking well poised at three under par following a bogey-free front nine, the three-time Major winner sent down a 315-yard drive to the middle of the fairway. His second shot at the par-five 10th went out of bounds, way left of the green.

It was at the same hole Phil Mickelson had earlier in the day reprised his Winged Foot meltdown of 2006 when his first tee shot of yesterday’s opening round took up residence near a corporate hospitality tent. Eight years ago that had cost him the US Open at the 72nd hole, but this time Mickelson escaped with a par having at first been given a free drop.

McIlroy, by contrast, took a double-bogey seven. He had prided himself on a new-found mental strength for not succumbing to a bad run of holes following a setback but his bogey at the par-three 11th threatened to have the hallmark of a relapse, his tee shot to the centre of the green followed by a three-putt from 46 feet.

That sent McIlroy back to level par for his round but this time the response was more satisfying, the Irishman nailing his 176-yard approach at the par-four 12th to four feet from the pin and responding with a heartfelt fist pump as he got back on track with a birdie, one under with six to play.

Shane Lowry, though, was going well, the in-form Clara golfer making his first start a tie for ninth at the Open, his best finish in a Major.

Starting from the 10th, Lowry bounced back from a bogey at the 217-yard par-three 14th by rattling off three birdies in a row around the turn. A bogey five followed at the second but Lowry bounced back at the fourth and seventh with birdies to reach three under par — just three behind Westwood — playing the last.

Valhalla: Tee times

All times Irish

First hole

12.30pm: S Lowry (Irl), B Sowards, R Palmer.

12.40pm: D Volk, C Hoffman, S Brown.

12.50pm: A Levy (Fra), S Deane, D Hearn (Can).

1pm: D Tentis, F Zanotti (Par), D Willett (Eng).

1.10pm: B Haas, A Lahiri (Ind), J Senden (Aus).

1.20pm: V Singh (Fij), D Love III, D Toms.

1.30pm: S Piercy, C Tringale, K Aphibarnrat (Tha).

1.40pm: H Mahan, B Grace (Rsa), T Olesen (Den).

1.50pm: C Kirk, M Jones (Aus), S-yul Noh (Kor).

2pm: T Fleetwood (Eng), J Kelly, H Tanihara (Jpn).

2.10pm: W MacKenzie, S Schneiter, Chesson Hadley.

2.20pm: J Kok (Rsa), B Martin, C Wood (Eng).

2.30pm: D Summerhays, J McGovern, G Ogilvy (Aus).

5.45pm: R Karlsson (Swe), K Oda (Jpn), F Esposito.

5.55pm: A Cabrera (Arg), H Matsuyama (Jpn), P Reed.

6.05pm: S Micheel, C Montgomerie (Sco), M Block.

6.15pm: R Fowler, V Dubuisson (Fra), E Els (Rsa).

6.25pm: A Scott (Aus), J Spieth, L Westwood (Eng).

6.35pm: J Walker, I Poulter (Eng), J Day (Aus).

6.45pm: P Mickelson, P Harrington (Irl), T Woods.

6.55pm: B Snedeker, G McDowell (Irl), B Koepka.

7.05pm: Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa), C Schwartzel (Rsa), J Furyk.

7.15pm: L Oosthuizen (Rsa), J Rose (Eng).

7.25pm: M Leishman (Aus), B Weekley,B Wiesberger (Aut).

7.35pm: R Henley, D McNabb,M Warren (Sco).

7.45pm: M Ilonen (Fin), J Smith, G McNeill.

10th hole

12.35pm: R Ishikawa (Jpn), R Sabbatini (Rsa), M Pesta.

12.45pm: E Williamson, S Stallings, M Manassero (Ita).

12.55pm: J Blixt (Swe), W Simpson, E Compton.

1.05pm: G Fernandez-Castano (Spa), G De Laet (Can), G Woodland.

1.15pm: S Stricker, S Garcia (Spa), T Watson.

1.25pm: K Perry, R Moore, H Stenson (Swe).

1.35pm: M Kaymer (Ger), B Watson, R McIlroy (Irl).

1.45pm: Y.E. Yang (Kor), J Dufner, K Bradley.

1.55pm: L Donald (Eng), JB Holmes, F Molinari (Ita).

2.05pm: D Clarke (Irl), Z Johnson, R Sterne (Rsa).

2.15pm: T Clark (Rsa), P Casey (Eng), K Na.

2.25pm: S Bowditch (Aus), R Perry, B Crane.

2.35pm: D Hronek, C Stroud, J Bohn.

5.40pm: R Knox (Sco), B Norman, R Castro.

5.50pm: C Howell III, A Krueger, J Luiten (Ned).

6pm: J Broce, B Horschel, G Coetzee (Rsa).

6.10pm: B Stuard, B Todd, P Larrazabal (Spa).

6.20pm: F Jacobson (Swe), N Watney, B De Jonge.

6.30pm: M Every, R Fisher (Eng), K Chappell.

6.40pm: J Daly, R Beem, M Brooks.

6.50pm: T Jaidee (Tha), K J Choi (Kor), B Harman.

7pm: T Bjorn (Den), K Stadler, H English.

7.20pm: H-sung Kim (Kor), J Donaldson (Wal), S Cink.

7.30pm: S Gallacher (Sco), J Kokrak, Rafael C Bello (Spa).

7.40pm: K Streelman, E Molinari (Ita), R Helminen.

7.40pm: B Steele, R Corcoran, P Perez.