But the clubface of his driver split as he made contact with the ball and he snap-hooked into the trees. A rules official was nearby and Westwood asked for a replacement to be fetched from his locker in the clubhouse.

It was brought to him on the next hole after he had scrambled a par five and he used it to eagle the 18th and then birdie the 458-yard first.

At seven under par, however, he was still three behind playing partner and Ryder Cup team-mate Miguel Angel Jimenez, who had taken over at the top from world number three Ernie Els.

While the South African added to his opening 66 with further birdies at the 13th and 18th, the two par fives on the back nine, Jimenez picked up five shots on the same stretch of holes.

Westwood said: “It was only a last-minute decision to bring a spare driver, but I’ve never hit it until now – not even on the range.”

Five times a winner last season, 41-year-old Jimenez holed from eight feet at the short 11th, hit his approach to four feet on the next, nearly chipped in for eagle at the 13th and then rolled in a 30-foot putt two holes later.

He two-putted the 18th for another birdie, but that looked rather pedestrian as Westwood and Nick Dougherty, the other member of the group, both eagled.

Dougherty won his first tour title in Singapore in January and at five under par was far from out of contention for another.

David Howell, joint second with Jimenez overnight and another member of last year’s victorious Ryder Cup team, was alongside Westwood in third place thanks to birdies at the 17th and 18th.

Colin Montgomerie, round in a two under 70 yesterday, was among the day’s later starters, as were defending champion Mark O’Meara, new Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam and Greg Norman – all facing battles to survive the halfway cut at one over, two over and two over respectively.

Els birdied the second and third, but after he reached 10 under Jimenez sank more good putts on the fifth and seventh to move two ahead again.

They were starting to leave the rest of the field trailing in their wake. Howell’s bogey at the sixth put him back to six under and he shared third place now with Japan’s Toru Taniguchi, Australian Peter Fowler and Welsh pair Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd.

Westwood three-putted the short fourth and dropped another shot at the sixth to slip to five under, but he matched Jimenez’s two on the next.

Rookie professional Sam Osborne, from Wentworth, was one further back. Round in 68 yesterday the former England amateur international bogeyed the sixth, but then birdied eight and nine.

Ireland's Paul McGinley is best of the Irish this morning at three under after 14 holes, while Peter Lawrie is on five over after 13.

Damien McGrane, who will tee off later today, is on -1 while Gary Murphy, also due to tee off later, will start on three over.