Westwood, the former European number one who in the last 15 months has slumped from fourth in the world to his current 144th, went to the turn in 32 at the tree-lined Sahalee Country Club.

And although he then bogeyed the next two holes, coming back for a three under par 68 represented a big step in the right direction with the Ryder Cup now only a month away.

Westwood was three behind early leader Toshimitsu Izawa, the little Japanese player being one ahead of Retief Goosen and two in front of a group which included Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods, trying to win the event for the fourth year in a row.

“Nobody likes playing poorly and I want to take a decent game to The Belfry,” said Westwood.

“I’m very excited about it. I’m learning more about my swing all the time and I’m trying to get my feel back and not be too mechanical.

“This is another positive step towards getting my game together again. I don’t think you lose your ability to play once you’ve reached a high level.”

Only a week ago Westwood had a season’s worst 82 to miss the halfway cut in the United States PGA championship.

He looked further away than ever from ending a winless spell which stretches all the way back to the Cisco World Match Play championship at Wentworth in October 2000.

But a 12-foot birdie putt on his opening green today – actually the 401-yard 10th – was just the pick-me-up he was looking for and although he three-putted the 544-yard 11th for par the fact that he was on the green in two was encouraging too.

Westwood then holed from 12 feet at the 12th, 15 feet at the 14th and nine feet two holes later and shared the lead with stablemate Darren Clarke, who over on the front nine opened with four straight birdies and then had another before slipping back a touch.

That was a turn around in form too for the Ulsterman, who bogeyed the last two holes to miss the cut last week as well.

Clarke, however, suffered a similar mid-round lapse like Westwood, finding bunkers at the eighth and ninth and being three under with six to play.

Rose was in the first group off and after turning in level par he matched Westwood’s 32 for the back nine.

Third after the opening round of the US PGA – his first-ever professional tournament in the States – the 22-year-old said: “Seeing your name on the leaderboard gets your adrenaline going.

“In practice on both days I had more birdies on the back nine and that’s what I told myself when I got a bit frustrated on the outward half.”

A start which had been delayed for 15 minutes because of fog also saw Colin Montgomerie reach three under – and then come completely unstuck at the 535-yard 18th en route to a level par 71.

Montgomerie was another to crash out early in Minneapolis, having only one birdie in 36 holes.

He had three in the first six holes here, but things started to go wrong on the 377-yard 16th, his seventh.

He hardly moved his ball out of thick rough left of the fairway and did well to drop only one shot by chipping dead.

When he was greenside bunker for two at the last (his ninth) the chance to make quick amends was there.

Instead, however, his concentration was distracted by two hot dog-eating spectators arriving in the grandstand behind him as he prepared to play.

“Excuse me, please,” said the Scot and after thinning his shot right over the green he turned to them again and added: “Thanks!”

The ball came to rest on a cart path, but after talks with European tour rules chief John Paramor Montgomerie took a free drop next to a generator, but on pine needles.

In weighing up his fourth shot he said to caddie Andy Prodger: “Let’s get out of here before we kill anybody.”

But the ball did not make it back to the green, his chip raced 25 feet past and he two-putted from there for a double bogey seven.

Montgomerie finished with a level par 71 and said: “I couldn’t keep the start going and that’s the way the season has been really.”

He refused to blame the two fans for his seven.

“I just hit a bad shot from the bunker,” he said.

The biggest gallery, of course, was with Masters and US Open champion Tiger Woods, chasing a fourth successive victory in the event.

And he rewarded them almost immediately with an eagle at the long second to move to two under.

After eight holes the world number one was four under, but he fell back into the chasing pack with a five at the 458-yard 12th – the hole where Ulsterman Graeme McDowell holed out from 169 yards for an eagle two.

McDowell, who qualified by winning the Scandinavian Masters in only his fourth start as a pro earlier this month, was still only one over with seven to go.

Phillip Price was two over at the same point and Paul McGinley four over.

Padraig Harrington was still bothered by his neck and ankle injuries as he returned a 72.

Seattle Leaderboard

6 under - Toshimitsu Izawa (Jpn) (after 18 holes)

5 under – Retief Goosen (Rsa) (15)

Davis Love (18)

Phil Mickelson (15)

4 under – Justin Rose (Gbr) (18)

Steve Lowery (18)

Tiger Woods (16)

3 under – Fred Funk (18)

Thomas Bjorn (Den) (18)

Rocco Mediate (18)

Lee Westwood (Gbr) (18)

Kenny Perry (17)

Sergio Garcia (Spa) (17)

Paul Azinger (16)

Darren Clarke (Irl) (15)

Selected others:

Level – Colin Montgomerie (Gbr) (18)

1 over – Graeme McDowell (Gbr) (12)

Padraig Harrington (Irl) (18)

Phillip Price (Gbr) (12)

2 over – Paul Lawrie (Gbr) (18)

4 over – Paul McGinley (Irl) (13)