GOLF:LEE WESTWOOD played on through the pain yesterday but it looks more likely that he will become world number one by taking time off next week than by finishing second at St Andrews tomorrow.

The Ryder Cup star, who suffered a recurrence of his calf injury during an opening 70 in the Dunhill Links Championship, added a level-par 72 at St Andrews.

Needing a first or second-place finish to dethrone Woods this weekend, Westwood is outside the top 30 at halfway and 10 shots behind surprise leader John Parry.

If he misses his defence of the Portugal Masters next week, however, the 37-year-old from Worksop will overtake Woods on the rankings – calculated over a two-year period – at the end of this month.

“It was pretty much the same as yesterday,” he said of the injury.

“I’m just struggling with it and I’m probably just going to get through this week and make a decision.”

Asked if it could mean another lengthy break after this week – the Ryder Cup was his first competitive action since August 6th – he replied: “Could be, yeah. My gut instinct is to get it better. I’m just consciously thinking about it and the longer the day goes on the worse it gets. It’s not great and shutting down for the rest of the year is an option.”

England’s Parry left nine of Europe’s Ryder Cup side trailing in his wake at St Andrews – in an event he was not qualified for until he won his first European Tour title two weeks ago.

The 23-year-old from Harrogate, a team-mate of Rory McIlroy at the 2007 Walker Cup, led by four at halfway after a brilliant 65.

“It’s nice to be here and I’ve holed putts from everywhere,” said Parry, who from struggling to keep his card is now on course for a massive first prize of over €575,000.

His Vivendi Trophy victory in Paris was worth €190,000 and he celebrated that by buying himself a car – not a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Porsche, but a Vauxhall Astra.

“I would have bought something a bit nicer, but I’ve only just learnt to drive, so the insurance companies don’t seem to like me at the minute – and my parking’s not very good.”

Parry turned pro three years ago like McIlroy, but while the Irishman was an instant hit Parry failed to come through the qualifying school and had to go away to the “third division” EuroPro Tour.

“I didn’t have any money at all, but my manager sort of backed me and I think I came out about even,” he said. From that he earned a place on the Challenge Tour and, thanks to a closing 63 for a win in this same week last year, he graduated from that to the main circuit.

Sweden’s Martin Erlandsson, yet to win on Tour, is in second place after a 68 at Carnoustie, the hardest of the three courses used for the celebrity pro-am.

Three players are a further stroke back – big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and Ryder Cup pair Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer.

They were all at St Andrews, Fisher having a 68 and both Quiros and Kaymer carding 69s.

Monday’s match-winning hero Graeme McDowell, playing with his father Kenny, also shot 68 to move up to sixth place on six under, while Pádraig Harrington, cup vice-captain Thomas Bjorn and defending champion Simon Dyson are all five under. In contrast to Parry, McIlroy struggled to a 74 yesterday and, at two over par, needs a good score at Carnoustie today to make the cut.

ST ANDREWS

(British unless stated, Irish in bold, par 72): 132 J Parry 67 65 137 R Fisher 69 68, M Kaymer (Ger) 68 69, A Quiros (Spa) 68 69 138 G McDowell 70 68 139 F Zanotti (Par) 67 72, S Dyson 69 70, P Harrington 71 68 140 A Coltart 69 71 141 F Molinari (Ita) 72 69, D McGrane 72 69, S Webster 70 71, A Da Silva (Bra) 69 72, M Ilonen (Fin) 71 70, M Laird 66 75, R Davies 71 70 142 S Kjeldsen (Den) 67 75, R Coles 68 74, D Howell 69 73, L Westwood 70 72 143 D Vancsik (Arg) 68 75, R Karlsson (Swe) 77 66, G Coetzee (Rsa) 73 70, D Clarke 76 67, A Hall (Aus) 75 68, P Larrazabal (Spa) 71 72 144 J Luiten (Ned) 73 71, C Montgomerie 72 72, E Els (Rsa) 70 74, A Dodt (Aus) 74 70, V Dubuisson (Fra) 69 75, M Hoey 71 73 145 C Cevaer (Fra) 72 73, A Haig (Rsa) 73 72, R McIlroy 71 74, R Goosen (Rsa) 73 72, P Gustafsson (Swe) 72 73, G Bourdy (Fra) 69 76, R Cabrera Bello (Spa) 74 71, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 73 72, P McGinley 74 71, E Molinari (Ita) 73 72 146 S Hend (Aus) 71 75, P Lawrie 70 76, S Khan 72 74 147 P Hanson (Swe) 74 73, C Wood 73 74, A Forsyth 75 72, N Dougherty 72 75, S Thornton 73 74 148 O Wilson 72 76 149 J-F Lucquin (Fra) 76 73 150 C Scott (Aus) 73 77, K Horne (Rsa) 76 74 151 J Daly (USA) 75 76 152 S Kapur (Ind) 74 78.

CARNOUSTIE

136 M Erlandsson (Swe) 68 68 139 T Bjorn (Den) 66 73 140 R Bland 68 72, R Gonzalez (Arg) 66 74, M Siem (Ger) 69 71, D Willett 67 73 141 G Boyd 69 72, S Gallacher 69 72, A McLean 68 73, G Storm 68 73 142 P Waring 68 74, T Levet (Fra) 70 72, J Edfors (Swe) 70 72 143 A Butterfield 72 71, P Lawrie 71 72, R McEvoy 72 71 144 F Aguilar (Chi) 69 75, S Dodd 68 76 145 O Henningsson (Swe) 71 74, P Hedblom (Swe) 70 75, C Carranza (Arg) 68 77 146 J Elson 71 75, R Jan Derksen (Ned) 71 75, M Warren 70 76 147 M Lundberg (Swe) 69 78, J-F Lima (Por) 70 77, S Lowry 69 78, R Echenique (Arg) 72 75, K Ferrie 67 80, J Quesne (Fra) 71 76 148 M Wiegele (Aut) 72 76, R Rock 70 78, G Murphy 73 75, M Ruiz (Par) 72 76, P Martin (Spa) 69 79, S O’Hara 71 77, C Coetzee (Rsa) 68 80 149 G Lockerbie 72 77, D Drysdale 73 76, D McKenzie (Aus) 69 80, J Huldahl (Den) 74 75, P Whiteford 76 73, M Both (Aus) 73 76, J Donaldson 68 81, R McGowan 70 79 150 A Canete (Arg) 70 80, M Brown (Nzl) 72 78, G Havret (Fra) 73 77, J Morrison 73 77 151 T Fisher Jnr (Rsa) 73 78 152 M Jonzon (Swe) 73 79 153 J Geary (Nzl) 76 77 155 K Mcnicoll 77 78, O Fisher 72 83 157 M Foster 75 82.

KINGSBARNS

140 P Price 70 70 141 J-B Gonnet (Fra) 70 71, M Lafeber (Ned) 66 75, R Jacquelin (Fra) 69 72, T Wilkinson (Nzl) 67 74 142 A Wall 73 69, H Otto (Rsa) 72 70, D Lynn 69 73 143 T Aiken (Rsa) 69 74, A Noren (Swe) 72 71, A Hansen (Den) 71 72, R Finch 68 75, P Archer 72 71 144 B Dredge 73 71 145 A Kang (USA) 69 76, J Kingston (Rsa) 69 76, S Hansen (Den) 72 73, A Canizares (Spa) 70 75 146 J Norris (Aus) 72 74, P Sjoland (Swe) 75 71, D Dixon 69 77, M Manassero (Ita) 75 71, M Brier (Aut) 72 74, D Horsey 74 72, M Griffin (Aus) 70 76 147 R Ramsay 69 78, R Green (Aus) 71 76, G Fdez-Castano (Spa) 72 75 148 G Maybin 72 76, R Kulacz (Aus) 72 76, T Goya (Arg) 73 75, J Kamte (Rsa) 71 77 149 S Hutsby 73 76, B Barham 72 77, P O’Malley (Aus) 74 75, J Randhawa (Ind) 77 72 150 J Sandelin (Swe) 73 77, G Bhullar (Ind) 75 75, S Little 74 76, F Andersson Hed (Swe) 74 76 151 D Garza (USA) 76 75, N Fasth (Swe) 76 75, S Strange (Aus) 73 78, N Colsaerts (Bel) 73 78, I Garrido (Spa) 71 80, J M Lara (Spa) 75 76 152 F Delamontagne (Fra) 79 73, P Edberg (Swe) 78 74, T Van Aswegen (Rsa) 77 75 153 L Mckechnie (Aus) 77 76 154 B Rumford (Aus) 80 74, M Campbell (Nzl) 74 80 155 C Muniyappa (Ind) 77 78, S Shankar P Chowrasia (Ind) 77 78 159 B Pieters (Rsa) 77 82 161 J Van de Velde (Fra) 82 79.