Something resembling normal service was resumed on the European tour yesterday as the names of Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood appeared on a leaderboard again.

Montgomerie, over a year on since his last victory on the circuit, goes into the second round of the Victor Chandler British Masters at Woburn just two behind leader Sweden's Robert Karlsson.

And Westwood, who has not won since the Cisco World Match Play at Wentworth last October, would have been on the four under par mark of 68 as well but for a closing bogey.

Karlsson, winner of the Spanish Open already this season and pressing hard for the Ryder Cup debut denied him two years ago when Mark James by-passed him in favour of Andrew Coltart, leads by one from 20-year-old rising Australian star Adam Scott.

The tall Swede had a bogey-free 66 and was set to hold a two-stroke advantage over the 156strong field until playing partner Scott, a winner in South Africa in January, birdied the final three holes.

Eamonn Darcy, the 48-year-old Irishman, is also in the group on 68 with Montgomerie. Darcy started with two birdies at the 10th and 11th and another at the 15th took him to the turn in three under par 33. Another birdie at the second was cancelled out by his only dropped shot of the round at the next and fifth birdie at the seventh took him to an opening 68.

Darren Clarke was one under after six, but bogeyed the 16th and then took three from the edge of the 18th - and was so furious after leaving a 10-foot par attempt short that he went to whack the ball off the green before getting a grip of himself in his round of 70.

David Higgins, Des Smyth and Ronan Rafferty are on all on level par 72 while Philip Walton is a shot back after an opening 73. Kilkenny's Gary Murphy is eight shots off the pace after a 74.

Putting is a mind game within a game, something that has baffled the best, has driven more than one great champion out of the sport altogether and, while it never got quite that bad for Montgomerie, the Scot has despaired of putting well for the better part of two years.

He has, in that time, consulted self-proclaimed short-game experts, gone to putting gurus and used modern video technology in an attempt to unravel the mysteries of what should be the most straightforward aspect of the game. Nothing has succeeded on a permanent basis and eventually Montgomerie, with his capacity for self-analysis, found the answer himself.

Yesterday he putted better than at any time since the last Ryder Cup, that notorious affair at Brookline, in Boston, in September 1999.

And that turned out to be the secret. "I've noticed," said Montgomerie, "that the time I hole most putts is in matchplay when I'm putting for a half and there is no earthly use in leaving the ball short. I decided during practice this week that I'd give that philosophy a go but then I went and forgot about it for the first nine holes."

The Scot, who started at the 10th, covered the outward half in 38, two over par. It was then that he decided to give himself a talking to and then that he remembered his pre-tournament decision. The result was instantaneous.

"I didn't leave a single putt short over the next nine," he said. "Out of nine putts I gave myself nine chances; ie, they were past the hole had they missed." Indeed, at the 9th, his last, he holed from 50 feet, a downhill slider hit so hard that it would probably have gone eight feet past had it missed.

The tournament is being played over the new, third course at Woburn, the Marquess, and early opinion is that this is some acquisition for British golf. The setting is beautiful, the design testing and Monty in particular loves it. "It's very, very good," he said, "and it's got my name written all over it." He feels that the emphasis on long, straight driving suits him but then he also spoke as a man who had just come home in 30, with only 11 putts.

Karlsson won the Spanish Open six weeks ago but his finishes since have been 42nd, 37th and 67th, disappointing for a man with such an abundance of talent. "I think I have been pushing too hard," he said, and he came to Woburn resolved to relax. Five birdies and no bogeys added up to the lead.

It has been around nine years since Sandy Lyle led a tournament - he won the Volvo Masters in 1992 - and he was off the pace again yesterday. But his three-under 69 sparked a few memories and the Shropshire Scot is now in the UK until the British Open, having at least temporarily abandoned the US Tour.

He had seven birdies and only 25 putts - always, as Monty would agree, a help.