Home comfort for Westy

Westwood: six birdies on day one

British Masters
First round leaders
GB&Ire unless stated
-5 M Fraser (Aus)
-5 M Lundberg (Swe)
-4 R Echenique (Arg)
-4 A Hansen (Den)
-4 S Walker
-4 M Warren
-4 L Westwood

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England's Lee Westwood bounced back from his Ryder Cup disappointment to finish just a shot off the pace after the first round of the Quinn Insurance British Masters.

The Worksop man shot an opening 68 at the Belfry to finish in a group of five players one shot adrift of early leaders Marcus Fraser of Australia and Swede Mikael Lundberg.

After failing to record a win and complaining of being 'shamefully abused' by the American galleries at Valhalla last week, Westwood looked far more at home in front of his home fans in the midlands.

He started with a run of three birdies in four holes, wobbled at the eighth and ninth with successive bogey fives, but immediately hit back with two more birdies, before picking up a further shot at the long 15th on his way to a four-under total.

Former Ryder Cup star Thomas Bjorn also enjoyed an encouraging day. The Dane - down in 117th place on the Order of Merit after a miserable season, and playing his first tournament in 10 weeks due to shoulder trouble - carded an opening 69 to lie two shots back.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, the only other member of last week's losing team in Louisville to be playing in the £1.8million event, had a 72, but his fellow countryman Darren Clarke crashed to an 80 and Colin Montgomerie to an 81 - his worst score in Europe for over four years.

The 45-year-old Scot, who pulled out of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Cologne two weeks ago with a shoulder injury, was paired with Westwood.

Demanding

"He didn't have one of his greatest days," said the Englishman. "But the rough is thick, the course is demanding and if you miss the fairways it can get away from you very easily."

As for his own game, he added: "I felt a bit jet-lagged over the last four holes and my legs started to go a bit, but everything was pretty good.

"My fitness has a lot to do with that. There are no negatives to being fitter."

Fraser, 115th on the money list and fully aware that only 115 players keep their cards at the end of the season, went to the turn in 31 early in the day.

By holding his position over the back nine the 30-year-old, just back from a trip back home to see his pregnant wife Carlie, set a clubhouse target which only Lundberg, the Swede who won the Russian Open for a second time in July, could match during the afternoon.

Asked about the prospect of losing his card, father-to-be Fraser commented: "It does not worry me too much. If I lose my card I get to spend more time in Australia, which is good."