Schwartzel begins Masters defense at wet Augusta

BC-GLF--Masters, 3rd Ld-Writethru,4282nd round under way at blustery AugustaAP Photo AUG141, AUG315, AUG304, AUG300, AUG268, AUG266, AUG295, AUG245, AUG324Eds: Updates with Westwood opening with par, adds details. With AP Photos.By EDDIE PELLSAP National Writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) ? Lee Westwood might be wondering if he's contending for a green jacket or the claret jug.

In search of his first major title, Westwood returned to the course Friday at the Masters ? a day that felt more like a British Open.

Wearing long sleeves, Westwood opened his day with an easy par after being greeted by blustery winds and temperatures in the 50s ? a stark contrast to the warm opening day when he shot 5-under-par 67 to take a one-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen and Peter Hanson.

Oosthuizen had one of the first tee times Friday and made double bogey on No. 2 to quickly fall down the leaderboard.

Ben Crane, meanwhile, birdied the par-5 second to move to 4 under, in a tie with Hanson and Jason Dufner, the Auburn graduate who walked out on the course wearing a stocking cap.

There was a five-way tie at 3 under that included 2007 champion Zach Johnson and Scotland's Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion who probably felt at home in these conditions.

Teeing off later were Tiger Woods (even), Phil Mickelson (2 over) and Rory McIlroy (1 under), all of whom have wins this year on the PGA Tour and were among the top contenders.

Westwood injected his name into that mix, too. The world's third-ranked player, one of the best to never win a major, certainly looked comfortable as he opened his quest on Thursday.

He made four straight birdies on Nos. 5 through 8 and didn't face a put of more than 10 feet on any of them.

He took the lead after the first round of a major for the first time in his career.

"I figured if I drive the ball well, which I generally do, then I'm going to have a chance to get it close to flags and from there, it's just an issue of how many putts I hole," he said.

He made it look as easy as it sounds. He knows as well as anyone, though, that it's always easier on a Thursday.

Westwood has six top-three finishes since 2008. At Augusta two years ago, he was the leader heading into the final round. On that day, he three-putted the ninth green to lose the lead and ended up as a bit player while Mickelson won his third green jacket.

Westwood's methods after all these close calls?

"When you're in contention and don't finish it off, you go home and assess what you didn't do and what you can improve," he said. "And that's what I did."

Associated Press

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