Westwood breaks record on way to lead

Lee Westwood and Jose Coceres of Argentina both fired a course record 64 to share the lead after the first round of the Desert Classic on Thursday.

The pair broke the Dubai Creek course record by two strokes to lead by two shots from British Open Champion Paul Lawrie, veteran Spaniard Jose Rivero and Briton Ian Garbutt.

Northern Irishman Darren Clarke, who beat world number one Tiger Woods in the final of the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship in Carlsbad, California, last weekend, went round in 71.

European number one Colin Montgomerie, playing his first strokeplay event of the season, also carded a 71.

Westwood climbed to the top of the leaderboard when he crashed a huge drive down the long fifth, produced an equally piercing two-iron second shot to 25 feet and then holed out for eagle. He added six birdies in his best round for six months.

"I'm hitting the ball a lot further than I've done for a good six months," Westwood said. "My coach has got me winding up a little better and my distance has come back."

Westwood insisted his stablemate Clarke's thrilling win over Woods had not inspired him, however. "It was great for Darren and great for Europe," added Westwood, "but it wasn't really that which spurred me on."

The Englishman, whose last victory was the European Masters last August, is also pleased to see a new diet is working.

"I got some advice from a nutritionalist from one of my sponsors, to eat a lot of carbohydrates. I had a couple of bananas out on the course, something I don't do normally, and I felt great, so it seemed to work as well."

Coceres collected eight birdies to mount his challenge for a second European tour title six years after his first, the Catalan Open.

The closest he has come to a recent victory was runner-up in the Argentine Open last December, but a winter fitness regime has put the 36-year-old from Buenos Aires back on track for victory.

"I felt a lot fitter and stronger out on the course than I have for some time," Coceres said. "It was my best round since last year's Volvo Masters when I also shot 64.

"In the winter in Argentina I did a lot of working out to get fit again, lots stretching in particular. That has helped my game, I think.

"Working with coach Raul Brieto has been good as well. He's helped get my swing back on track."

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