Westwood takes advantage with brilliant 63

Lee Westwood picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Colin Montgomerie in superb style in the £1million Scandinavian Masters in Stockholm. Defending champion Montgomerie admitted he expects to win every tournament he enters in Europe and started well enough with a 68.

However Westwood, also a previous champion in this event, produced a storming round of 63, eight under par, a score that would have been a new course record if not for the preferred lies in operation on the saturated layout at Kungsangen.

Due to the conditions, the players were permitted to pick the ball up and clean it before replacing it, which invalidates any course records. The 27-year-old from Worksop carded an eagle and seven birdies, including four in his last five holes, to forge a two-shot lead over the field.

Japan's Katsuyoshi Tomori was alone in second after a six-under 65, Spain's Diego Borrego and Swede Olle Karlsson on five under and former Ryder Cup player David Gilford in a group of players a shot further back.

Westwood has been in superb form recently with a run of 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 64th and 3rd in his last eight tournaments, (the only mishap coming at the Open at St Andrews), but was taking nothing for granted in the battle for the £164,000 first prize that could take him top of the Order of Merit.

"With players like Jesper (Parnevik), Monty and Darren (Clarke) playing I don't turn up expecting to win because some weeks the putts don't go in.

"I turn up knowing I should have a good chance if I play as well as I can from tee to green and putt well. It's far too early to think about winning yet, a lot can happen over 54 holes."

Westwood's main concern is to get the traditional drink out of close friend Clarke after the Ulsterman's hole-in-one in Wednesday's pro-am. Clarke fired a 62 on that occasion but had to settle for a 69 on Thursday.

Westwood joked: "I love it when he shoots 62 on Wednesday's. I'm sure that win in the pro-am has gone straight on his CV. But he didn't even buy me a drink for the hole in one that I found out about after he'd gone to bed."

Montgomerie had been annoyed with his putting ever since the Open championship at St Andrews where he finished well adrift of winner Tiger Woods.

However, armed with a new grip and a stone lighter in weight, the slimline world number four was round in three-under-par, the only blemish on his scorecard a bogey six on the fifth hole that he described as "crazy".

Still suffering the effects of a migraine that forced him to pull out of the pro-am halfway through, Monty said: "Nothing really happened but three under is OK.

"I putted a wee bit better and it's a decent start. The six on the fifth was disappointing because I hit a great drive and had only a three iron in but missed the green, chipped up and three putted. Crazy.

"I'm not feeling very well, still suffering from yesterday but we got round today at least. I'll rest this afternoon and hopefully be okay."

Local favourite Jesper Parnevik, seeking a hat-trick of wins on home soil, could only manage a 71, Ryder Cup vice-captain Ian Woosnam a 72 while New Zealander Michael Campbell birdied three of the last four in his 69.

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