Westwood and Poulter lead the way

Two months after providing the finalists at the World Match Play, two Englishmen are now setting the pace in The Masters at Augusta.

Ian Poulter is the common denominator, but instead of Paul Casey – the man he beat in Tucson – it is now Lee Westwood, the man who took “a few dollars” off him in practice on Tuesday, that he has to try to defeat.

Tiger Woods, bidding for a 15th major in his first tournament since November, is also in the thick of things at halfway.

On a day made much more difficult by some of the pin placings – 50-year-old overnight leader Fred Couples could add only a 75 to his opening 66 and 60-year-old Tom Watson fell back to three under as well with a 74 – Poulter shot his second successive 68 to set the target at eight under.

Westwood, third in the last two majors, is alongside him following a 69 highlighted by an eagle on the second.

But both bogeyed the last – Westwood after being distracted by some noise on the tee – and as a result the chasing pack are breathing down their necks.

Woods, round in 70, shares third spot on six under with great rival Phil Mickelson, last week’s Houston Open winner Anthony Kim and Korean KJ Choi.

Woods holed from just outside 20 feet at the 13th and 15th, the two par fives on the back nine, and remains a firm favourite for the title despite his sex scandal having kept him in hiding and away from even the practice range recently.

“I’ve put myself right there,” said the world number one. On this course you can make up shots and you can lose shots. It makes for an exciting weekend.“

Poulter, whose outfits over the years have attracted more attention than his golf, was asked what goes with a green jacket.

“Absolutely anything,” he replied before revealing that he will be wearing a “hot pink pair of tartans with a white shirt” on Sunday.

It took him 12 attempts just to break par at Augusta, but now he has had three 68s in his last four rounds.

“My game is certainly a lot better and I’ve learnt the course over the last six years. I feel very comfortable and you can’t let this course intimidate you. You can’t back off from any shot.”

Westwood said: “It was a tricky, a grinding day, and all in all I’m delighted with the way things have gone.”

For his eagle he hit a massive drive and six-iron to 18 inches.

If Poulter and Westwood leading the first major of the season was the ecstasy for the European contingent, then the biggest agony belonged to Sandy Lyle.

There were only three shots separating Lyle and Couples when the 52-year-old Scot set off again in the third group of the day.

But the 1988 champion, who has had nothing better than his first day 69 since he won the title, shot a nightmare 86. His previous worst was 82.

The 52-year-old Scot’s horrendous front nine 46 – only three less than the worst in the tournament’s long history – was followed by a triple bogey six on the 12th and a fourth double bogey of the round on the 14th.

“I’m battered and bruised,” said Lyle, who at 11 over par found himself out of an event for which he had such high hopes 24 hours earlier.

“You have to smile. It got beyond a joke. I lost my rhythm completely and just couldn’t regroup. For the first nine holes I thought I was playing with a square ball.”

Poulter, on the other hand, picked up birdie fours at the second and eighth, made 10-footers to pick up further strokes at the 12th and 13th and collected his fifth birdie at the short 16th.

Missing the green cost him on the last, while Westwood’s drive found the right-hand trees and he could not salvage par from there.

In addition to his eagle, he had five birdies, but he double-bogeyed the 14th when two ahead before two-putting the long 15th from 80 feet to get his nose back in front.

They are the only two of the eight-strong English contingent left in, while Northern Irish pair Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, Dubliner Padraig Harrington and Welshman Ian Woosnam crashed out too.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, the youngest competitor in Masters history, became the first British Amateur champion to make the cut since Sergio Garcia in 1999.

Manassero, a brilliant 13th in The Open last July, just made it through on three over after a 76 playing alongside Westwood.

He is the only one of the six amateurs to survive to the weekend, so will be involved in a prizegiving ceremony.

How Westwood and Poulter would love to be there too, but it might yet be Woods - and what a story that would be.