Westwood - put illness to one side (Getty Images).

Lee Westwood goes into the second round of the US Open at Pinehurst on Friday just a stroke off the lead.

But the Ryder Cup's star first thought when he woke up - hopefully after a good night's sleep - was going to be how he felt rather than how he stood.

Westwood's opening two-under-par 68 on Thursday was a remarkable effort considering he was so under the weather that he was considering seeking a doctor.

On Wednesday afternoon the Worksop golfer thought he may have suffered sunstroke in the 35-degree heat.

But it quickly turned into a chest complaint and sore throat and after a bad night he was worried about how much it might affect his chances of becoming the first European to win the title since Tony Jacklin in 1970.

"For this you want to be fully fit," commented Westwood, who six years ago at the US PGA was put on a drip after suffering dehydration in similar conditions when in contention.

In the circumstances he was delighted to post a score bettered only by Americans Rocco Mediate and Olin Browne, ranked 251st and 300th in the world. They are also aged 42 and 46 respectively and Browne is the player who shot 59 in qualifying last week - after nearly pulling out at halfway.

"I was very disciplined," added Westwood. He also sank a 60-foot putt for birdie at the 14th and a 30-footer two holes later.

"It's the sort of start you dream of. You don't want to have to be aggressive to pick up shots.

"I like it when accuracy is rewarded as it is here. It should be and because the greens are so tough the course tests all your game."

Defending champion Retief Goosen and American Brandt Jobe, are also two under, while Phil Mickelson, runner-up to the South African 12 months ago and to Payne Stewart at Pinehurst in 1999, is one further back alongside Luke Donald, 1996 winner Steve Jones and South Korean KJ Choi.

Donald out-scored playing partners Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco, the only two players to beat him at the Masters in April, but their battling qualities kept them in the race. Woods shot a 70 equalled later by Vijay Singh and DiMarco a 71 which matched that of Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia.

All the really big guns are still there, in other words, but Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter managed only 77s and Paul Casey, in the worst slump of his career, brought up the rear with a horror 85.

Poulter was one of the stories of the day. He was furious when a putt went into the hole on the first - his 10th - but hit the edge of the metal ring below the surface and came back out.

Amazingly, the same had almost happened to him on the previous green and before tapping in he protested to the rules official following his group and then demanded the presence of the tournament director.

"It's never happened to me before and I've only ever seen it once on a putting green, not in a tournament," he said.

"I was shocked. I hit two perfect putts and you don't expect to see that. We're in a major golf tournament and I was having a tough enough time without that.

"I could shoot three three unders now and lose by a shot. If I do I'm not going to be very happy. And I'm choosing my words very carefully here.

"Inside I'm raging and I think it's best to get it out of my system now."

The hole at the first was checked, but only after Poulter had rammed the flag back in.

"I didn't want it to happen to anybody else," he added. Actually, it happened to a player in the US Tour qualifying school a few years ago - and he missed his card by one shot.

Casey really is going through it at the moment - 46 over par for his last seven rounds. But he has shot 85s before in majors (the 2002 US PGA and 2003 Open) and managed to get it out of his system.

Woods managed to hit only one more fairway than Casey, six to five, but is a magician at making the best of a bad job.

"I didn't drive as well as I wanted to and didn't hit my irons as precise as I wanted to," he said. "I know what I'm doing and I need to fix it, but even par or better is a great score at the US Open."

After 28 out of 66 players failed to break 80 in the final round at Shinnecock Hills last year the concern was that the conditions would get ridiculously hard again, but the greens are being constantly watered before, after and even during play and the rough has been cut as well.

There were only four birdies on the 492-yard par four 16th - and two of them came from Westwood and Colin Montgomerie.