Westwood - hoping to figure in finish (Getty).

Lee Westwood makes no secret of what he expects of himself at the US Open this weekend.

"I just feel it is time I stepped up," said the 32-year-old, who with 36 holes to go at Pinehurst is in joint sixth place only two shots behind leaders Retief Goosen, Olin Browne and Jason Gore.

Westwood has been a member of three victorious Ryder Cup sides, has lifted titles all around the globe and been as high as fourth in the world rankings.

But he has yet to have a top-three finish in a major and as he attempts to change that he has been given a good luck message from close friend Darren Clarke.

The Ulsterman, of course, is not playing this week because his wife Heather is battling cancer, but the good news is that she hopes to be back home on Tuesday and Clarke is planning to make his return in the European Open in Dublin in two weeks' time.

Westwood, level par at halfway, knows that that might well be the winning score come Sunday evening.

"Pars are prisoners out here - they are worth their weight in gold," the Worksop golfer added.

"You just try to make pars and try not to make too many mistakes. If you make two bogeys a day (he has made five in two days) you are usually in pretty good shape.

"I made one birdie (in the second round), but that probably would have been seven or eight on any other course.

"You are not going to make a lot when you have to fire away from flags 25 or 30 feet away. If people have come expecting to see lots of birdies they are going to be disappointed.

"There is no other course in the world with greens like these. None that I have played any way. It demands the ultimate in precision.

"I am happy with the position I am in and if I keep playing the way I am I will be delighted - and hopefully I will be in there tomorrow afternoon."

Westwood led the 1999 Masters with nine holes to play, but fell back to sixth and said the enormity of the situation suddenly hit him going into Amen Corner and left him feeling physically sick.

This week he has been ill with a chest complaint and sore throat, but the former European number one, an asthmatic, was given antibiotics after the first round and states: "I sound worse than I am. As long as you keep hydrating in this weather it's not too bad."