Westwood's drop in the rankings forced him to miss the US Open but he has worked hard with coach Peter Cowen and gained his reward with six birdies and just two dropped shots.

"I think missing the US Open was a blessing in disguise. I had a chance to have a rest and came back with some fresh ideas and cleared my head," he said.

"I did some hard work down in Portugal and at home with Pete on Monday. I started hitting the ball well and knowing the reason why and it's nice being able to take it on to the course.

"It's very difficult to change anything when you are winning the Order of Merit and seven tournaments in a year. It just comes as a shock when you take time off and the timing goes and you can't get it back."

Playing partner Colin Montgomerie was pleased to see his Ryder Cup team-mate back in form.

"It was very impressive. I'm delighted to see he was on top of the leaderboard," he said.

"He was very very confident in what he was doing and putted well. That's delightful."

Montgomerie dropped just one shot in his 67 as he bids to win the tournament for a record fourth time and top the Order of Merit in the process.

Funk was poised to take the outright lead before he dropped his only shot of the day at the 16th.

Seve Ballesteros, who played with Funk, made a brief return to action after a break of eight weeks.

The five-times major champion ran up scores of nine and 12 on the par fives on the inward nine and completed an horrific round of 89.

He visited the water four times on the last hole but inadvertently signed for a 10.

After consultation with senior referee John Paramor, Ballesteros was disqualified for signing for an incorrect score.