On a course he described as "really brutal", Nick Faldo called on all his experience and stayed right in the thick of the action at the Players Championship in Florida yesterday.

By adding a 73 to his opening 68 at Sawgrass, Faldo reached halfway on the three-under par total of 141, and in the swirling and gusting wind that was good enough to put him into a share for fourth place midway through the second round.

"Every hole is a brute," said the 44-year-old, chasing his first solo victory for over five years. "It's ridiculous and I think I coped really well. When you lose momentum it scares you.

"I guess experience helps and I have an awful lot of that. I've done so many articles lately about the old NF and I'm trying to get inside myself and give 100 per cent concentration on every shot."

Faldo's unexpected challenge for golf's unofficial fifth major came unstuck when he had a double bogey at the 10th hole of his second round - the 392-yard first - and followed it with a bogey six.

He blamed the first of the sixes on a spectator ripping open the velcro on a bag within his earshot, but he regrouped to birdie the fourth and fifth. First he pitched to five feet and then he made a 30-footer - the latest in a long line of superb putts.

With the man out in front at six under being the surprise figure of Carl Paulson, a 31-year-old without a US Tour victory to his name and ranked 181st in the world, there was still all to play for.

Paulson had two successive 69s to stand six under, one in front of world number two Phil Mickelson, while Robert Allenby was the only other player ahead of Faldo - and the Australian still had 16 holes to play.

Colin Montgomerie, however, resumed with three successive bogeys to stand one over and suddenly the concern for him became making the halfway cut.

Faldo - runner-up to Davis Love 10 years ago - had been among 71 players to return at 7.50am for the completion of the opening round.

He covered the last five holes - testing in any weather, but even more so in a gusting wind - in level par for a fine 68.

"I hit some good shots and holed some good putts," he said before darting off to prepare for a second round starting only 30 minutes later.

"It was tricky with the wind and I'm really pleased with that. You've just got to keep your head down and keep moving on."

Asked if he was surprised to be so well-placed, he stated: "Yes and no. I'm just trying to play one shot at a time and really concentrate. Not leave myself in a muddle - as simple as that."

Mickelson, after finishing the first round with a brilliant eight under 64, only one off the Sawgrass course record, went to the turn in 39 to go back to five under. He finished with a 75.

Darren Clarke finished off his rain-delayed first round with a four-over-par 76, and he followed that with a 73 to miss the cut by several strokes.

Miguel Angel Jimenez had the excitement of a hole-in-one at the 17th in the first round, but twice double-bogeyed the 18th three hours apart.