Unusual lift for Westwood

One of the most important days in Lee Westwood's golf career had an unusual start today - a ride in a police car.

But Westwood, lying fourth at the halfway stage of the United States PGA championship in Chicago, was not under suspicion for anything.

The 26-year-old from Worksop, chasing his first major title and paired with Tiger Woods, was waiting for a courtesy car from his hotel and when it failed to arrive the police came to his rescue.

"They were planning to give us an escort because of heavy traffic," explained coach Pete Cowen, "so they told us to just hop in."

Westwood, winner of his last two tournaments in Europe and in the form of his life, resumed three strokes behind American Jay Haas on six under par and almost chipped in for birdie at the short second.

The big early move was made by another American, Jim Furyk.

He birdied the first, holed his second shot to the 447-yard fourth for an eagle two, then birdied the long fifth by splashing out a greenside bunker to eight feet.

At seven under Furyk had moved alongside Woods in third place, while 19-year-old Spanish sensation Sergio Garcia pitched to three feet for an opening birdie and joined Westwood on six under.

Haas and second-placed Canadian Mike Weir both set off with par fours to stay nine under and eight under respectively in the final major of the millennium.

Nick Faldo continued to show a return to form. After three-putting the second, missing from only two feet, Faldo sank a 25-footer on the next and birdied the 530-yard fifth as well to stand three under.

He needed more than that to give himself a hope of qualifying next week for a record Ryder Cup cap but it was giving Europe's captain Mark James plenty to think about.

James himself was level par at halfway, but turned in 37 and then bogeyed the 10th, 11th and 13th to stand four over par.

Garcia probably needed a top four finish to become the youngest player in Ryder Cup history - he would take over from Faldo - and Faldo's chances of a wild card would improve considerably if the teenager was an automatic selection.

Colin Montgomerie, like Faldo two under overnight, was going even better on the front nine.

Europe's number one, a nine-stroke winner in Sweden last weekend, birdied the third and after giving the shot back on the next holed for a birdie two at the 206-yard eighth and was four under and joint ninth.

Swede Robert Karlsson, Scot Andrew Coltart and German Bernhard Langer are currently ninth, 10th and 11th in the Ryder Cup race and all three were unable to break par today after surviving the cut right on the limit of two over.

Karlsson had a 73, Langer a 74 and Coltart a nightmare 80 - a severe dent to his chances of a debut.

That round included a triple bogey seven on the 15th and a double bogey six on the next, both the result of duffed pitches.

"I dropped five shots out of nowhere," he said. But he refused to blame pressure of the Ryder Cup situation.

"I've been ninth or tenth in the table for the last six or seven months and it does not make any difference because it's the last couple of weeks.

"I suppose it was always likely to come down to a shoot-out in Munich next week."

Paul Lawrie and Jean Van de Velde, central characters in the dramatic conclusion to the Open at Carnoustie last month, shot 72 and 75 respectively to stand one over and three over respectively. Lawrie's round ended with a 50-foot birdie putt.

Weir, who last year had to attend the US tour qualifying school, birdied the second to join Haas on nine under, then went into sole possession of the lead when Haas bogeyed the 415-yard third.

He came up short of the green and, with mud on his ball, his chip went five feet past and he missed the return.

Woods remained seven under and was joined not only by Furyk, but also by yesterday's course record breaker Skip Kendall, while Westwood and Garcia were still six under after five and four holes respectively.

Montgomerie turned in 34 and was four under and Faldo, after bogeying the ninth, made a 40-foot birdie putt at the long 10th to get back to three under.

The crowd at the 17th were treated to a hole-in-one by 1996 winner Mark Brooks, playing with James, who had just double-bogeyed the 16th to stand four over.