• BMW PGA Championship, Round One

Donald races ahead as Westwood toils

Colin Montgomerie, a three-time winner, rolled back the years - particularly on the front nine © Getty Images

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Luke Donald is on the verge of snatching the world No. 1 ranking from Lee Westwood after storming two strokes ahead of the field on the first day of the BMW PGA Championship.

Donald mastered blustery conditions at Wentworth to card an imperious seven-under round of 64, while Westwood lumbered round in one-over. With just 0.050 ranking points separating the two, whoever finishes the higher is likely to assume the top ranking next week - although Martin Kaymer could have a say if he winds up in the top two.

Italian prodigy Matteo Manassero is tied for second at five-under alongside Johan Edfors, with Ross McGowan fourth at three-under.

Donald has been in terrific form of late - finishing outside the top ten just once in the last 15 weeks - and he looked at the peak of his powers in Surrey, with four birdies apiece on the front and back nine. The only blip was a bogey at the 12th after he sent his tee shot thundering into the trees.

"I think that is the best round I've played for a long time," Donald told Sky Sports. "They were really tough conditions today, so to control the ball as well as I did is really satisfying."

Westwood has hardly put a foot wrong since inheriting the No. 1 rank from Kaymer, but it looks as if Donald's pressure is set to become irresistible. Although he finished second at this tournament in 2000, Westwood has toiled at Wentworth in recent years, and he never came close to conquering the course as the winds howled around him.

While he managed three birdies, he was unable to stop errors creeping in, with a double-bogey at six the low point. He needs something special across the weekend to stop himself from tumbling from the summit of the sport.

Across the front nine, three-time winner Colin Montgomerie kept pace with Donald by turning in 30. The Scot, who is down at 462 in the world having gone three years since his last win, harked back to his golden era in the early stages, draining putts from improbable angles - but, from the tenth tee onwards, he was very much the Montgomerie who has toiled over the past 12 months, succumbing to five bogeys on the way in. He is at two-under, alongside Darren Clarke.

Predictably, the weather claimed a few victims - and the most notable was Rory McIlroy, who is yet to fully recover from his meltdown at the Masters. The Ulsterman looked woefully short of confidence with the putter, and stained his 76 with two double-bogeys. He is joined at five-over by last year's winner, Simon Khan, while Graeme McDowell is four-over.

Ian Poulter, who won the Volvo World Match Play Championship last weekend, continued his good form with a three-under par 68. A sole bogey at the 12th was the only blot on an otherwise solid card, with the Englishman draining four birdies across his 18 holes.

Kaymer appeared to struggle in the difficult conditions, the German carding a disappointing 74 to leave him 10 shots adrift of Donald. He hit the turn in 36 and a double-bogey six at the 12th only added salt to his wounds. Paul Casey, meanwhile, is also struggling on one-over. Things were going well at the halfway stage but three bogeys coming in wiped out his earlier good work.

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