• Players Championship, Second Round

Westwood shows his class

Lee Westwood is the leader at the halfway stage at Sawgrass © Getty Images

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Lee Westwood entertained the crowd with a string of inch-perfect iron shots in his seven-under-par second round of 65 at the Players Championship. The only blot on the 2009 Race to Dubai champion's card was a disappointing missed putt for birdie on the ninth - his last hole.

The turning point in Westwood's round was an eagle-three on the 16th - on the only hole he bogeyed on his opening-round 67. He hit a run of form, birdying four of the next five holes to move to 11-under and move to the top of the leaderboard.

"I had the bogey in the back of my mind coming down 16 and I had a great yardage of 216," Westwood said. "I hit a five-iron with a bit of wind behind and hit it to about three feet so I got my own back straight away.

"Momentum is obviously big in any sport and I got off to a nice start but missed a short one for birdie at 11 and got on with it with a birdie at the next. I played some solid golf after that and created some good chances as I went eagle-birdie-bogey and then birdie-birdie-birdie for a really good middle section. That was pleasing because those holes aren't easy."

After his second-place finish at the Masters last month, Westwood is happy with his position at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of golf's fifth Major.

"This course sets up a bit like a major championship course where you have it in your mind to play away from certain flags and you have to use your brain and experience. It is a good position to be in. Sunday night is the best time to lead but to lead at any time during the tournament is great."

Westwood holds a single shot advantage over Japan's Ryuji Imada and Francesco Molinari. Imada shot six birdies on his way to a six-under-par second round of 66, including an impressive chip into the heart of the hole on the 8th. Ryder Cup hopeful Molinari, who had turned down the chance to play in his home event at the BMW Italian Open in Turin, showed no signs of regret as he enjoyed a near-perfect round of 65.

The pair were later joined on 11-under by American Heath Slocum who birdied his final hole, while Lucas Glover is two shots further back on nine-under after carding a 65. Luke Donald stayed in contention with a second-round 69 to move to eight-under.

Northern Ireland's Graham McDowell moved up the leaderboard after carding a second-round 65. After a two bogeys and a double bogey cancelled out four birdies on his opening round, McDowell hit eight birdies to move to seven-under, five shots off the pace.

2008 champion Sergio Garcia continued his improving form with an encouraging round of 70 to follow up his first-round 69.

Tiger Woods struggled to find the fairways during his second-round 71 © Getty Images

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Tiger Woods endured another inconsistent day as he hit five birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey in a second-round 71. The 14-time major champion will be encouraged by his putting after he drained several tricky putts to save par.

"My play wasn't quite as good as yesterday," Woods said. I hit a lot of shots which were just outside of birdie range which meant I had to keep lag-putting. I just have to get the ball closer to the hole.

"The course is still pretty receptive. I hit a couple of shots with seven-irons which held up okay. I thought the greens would be a little more springy than they are now but we still have the weekend to go.

Woods could lose his No. 1 status this weekend to Phil Mickelson, but only if the world No. 2 wins the Sawgrass event and Woods finishes outside the top five. Woods will be relieved to note that Mickelson could only match his own score - a one-under 71 to see him level on three-under.

Paul Casey recovered from a shaky start but will still miss out on the weekend by one stroke as the cut landed at two-under. Four bogeys on the front nine left the Englishman struggling, and a bogey-free four-under back nine was enough for a two-under 70 but ultimately not sufficient to take his tournament past 36 holes.

Oliver Wilson matched his opening round 70 to move to four-under-par, but Rory McIlroy was the victim of inconsistency as he missed the cut after a par-round saw him remain on one-over-par. McIlroy, who won his maiden PGA Tour title at Quail Hollow last weekend, birdied three holes on the bounce on holes five to seven, but a double bogey at the tenth did not aid his cause.

Other names to miss the cut are Ian Poulter on one-under, Justin Rose who is on level-par, and Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els who both finished one-over.

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