Lee Westwood in hunt but Rumford leads in South Korea

 Westwood hit four birdies on the front nine in at the Blackstone Golf Club

Ballantine's Championship second round leaderboard:

• -10: B Rumford (Aus)
• -7: S Kjeldsen (Den), MA Jimenez (Spa)
• -6: R Davies (Wal), J Morrison (Eng), D McGrane (Ire)
• -5: D Johnson (US), S-h Park (Kor), R Finch (Eng), N Alexander (Swe)
• Selected others: -4: L Westwood (Eng), R Ramsey (Sco)
• +2: I Poulter (Eng)

World number one Lee Westwood hit a four-under-par 68 to reach the halfway stage of the Ballantine's Championship, six shots off the pace.

Westwood, who needs to win in South Korea to be assured of retaining top spot, sank seven birdies but bogeyed three of the four par-three holes.

Australia's Brett Rumford leads the way after a nine-under-par 63 lifted him to 10 under for the tournament.

Ian Poulter eagled the 18th but finished two over to miss the cut.

The Englishman had started well with two birdies in his opening three holes but he bogeyed the 5th and 7th to fall back to two over par with the cut projected at one over.

He birdied the 12th, but bogeyed the 14th and dropped two more shots at the par-five 15th.

However, pars on the 16th and 17th left him needing an albatross on the par-five last to make the cut - his second shot missed the green and, although he finished with a deft chip-in to pick up two shots, the eagle was irrelevant.

Immediately after his round, Poulter tweeted: "Disgusted to miss the cut in Korea today, it's beyond pathetic, the harder I try at the minute the worse it is. This game keeps you guessing."

Westwood opened with four birdies on the front nine and carded three more as he attempted to climb up the leaderboard after a level-par first round.

Despite the three bogeys that checked his progress, the 38-year-old said: "Four under gives me a chance - six behind one and three behind second. I have a funny feeling a lot can happen on this golf course."

Westwood, who only returned to world number one after winning last week's Indonesian Masters, needs to finish at least fifth at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, to hold off current number two Martin Kaymer, who is not playing this week.

If Luke Donald triumphs at the PGA Tour Classic of New Orleans, where he is two shots off the lead after the first round, he will jump to number one, unless Westwood wins.

However, the day belonged to Rumford, who sank nine birdies in his bogey-free round.

"I didn't come to this week with that great form, but this is a funny game," he said. "The last two weeks I've not been playing well, I've been grinding everything out."

Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez also went on birdie sprees, collecting seven apiece, and respectively carded 66 and 67 for a share of second on seven under.

Ireland's overnight leader Damien McGrane shot a level-par 72 and is tied for fourth with Rhys Davies of Wales (68) and England's James Morrison (69).

 

Lee Westwood drops shots at Ballantine's Championship

 Westwood birdied the 18th, fourth and fifth before his late slip

Ballantine's Championship first round leaderboard:

• -6: D McGrane (Ire)
• -5: S-h Park (Kor), R Finch (Eng), F Aguilar
• -4: R Ramsay (Sco), C Phadungsil (Tha)
• -3: K-t Kim (Kor), C Del Moral (Sp)
• Selected others: -2: MA Jimenez (Sp)
• level: L Westwood (Eng)
• +2: I Poulter (Eng)

 

World number one Lee Westwood had a costly finish to his opening round at the Ballantine's Championship in Icheon, South Korea.The 38-year-old, who regained his world number one spot after winning the Indonesian Masters last week, dropped three shots in his final three holes.It resulted in a level par round of 72 and left him six shots behind first-day leader, Irishman Damien McGrane.McGrane had four birdies on each nine to lead a group of three by one shot.

Westwood began his first round at the Blackstone Golf Club from the 10th tee and was progressing smoothly at three under when he took four at the 238-yard par-three seventh, finding a greenside trap after being distracted mid-swing by a camera in the gallery.Worse followed at the ninth, a 425-yard par four, when he made a six after pulling his tee shot.

Ian Poulter also started from the 10th and began in atrocious fashion with consecutive double bogeys.

The world number 17 also collected an eagle at the first before dropping a shot at the next in a 74.

Englishman Richard Finch, the world number 226 who carded a 64 in the final round to finish 10th at the recent China Open, shares second after a bogey-free 67.

The 33-year-old, who won the 2008 Irish Open, is a shot clear of Scotsman Richie Ramsay, who had a mixture of four birdies and two bogeys in six holes on his front nine.Miguel Angel Jimenez missed a three foot eagle chance and returned a 70, while Ernie Els, now ranked 15th, began quietly with a 73.