Lee Westwood, being paid around £50,000 to defend the title he won last year, may not even be asked to work for four days. Last year's European Order of Merit winner had his worst round in five years, returning a nine-over-par 81. Westwood is 15 shots behind leader Darren Lee, who returned a six-under-par 66 yesterday.

Andrew Coltart and Jamie Spence are tied for second place after returning four-under-par 68s yesterday. Five players share fourth place on three-under-par.

The tournament will be much the poorer at the weekend if the one star attraction doesn't shoot a low round today and misses the cut. Yesterday he looked like he belonged with many of the also-rans here. The Worksop professional started on the 10th tee and covered his first 11 holes in level par. He then played the next seven holes in nine-over-par. Westwood doubled bogeyed the third, fifth and sixth, and then bogeyed the final three holes to come home in 45.

"I can't remember the last time I had an 81," said the 28-year-old. "This might be another new record for me."

Westwood was surprised to be level par after 11 holes, openly admitting he is struggling with his game. "I'm just not hitting the ball too well. I haven't been for five months. After 11 holes I got a bit sick of scrambling and got myself into a bad frame of mind. You can only scramble so much and the way I was playing started to get to me."

Westwood didn't seem too concerned about his round afterwards. Besides stopping to talk to the press, he spent 15 minutes signing autographs for children. "It's not something that really bothers me. You have to go through these periods now and then, and you have to get on with it.

"When I came off the course and looked down at my card over the last eight holes, it reminded me of the telephone number for the vet's in Worksop!"

Westwood's round was in stark contrast to that of 19-year-old amateur Nick Dougherty. The Nick Faldo protege returned a two-under-par 70 yesterday. It is Dougherty's seventh professional tournament. He played three last year and missed the cut in all three. He has made the cut in the three he's played this year, including a 12th place finish in the International Open at The Belfry.

The amateur sensation credits a change of tact with his success on the professional circuit this season.

"I've got a different attitude this year," admitted Dougherty, who will turn professional after the US Amateur Championship in August. "I've decided to see how well I could do instead of trying just to make the cut. As an amateur your main goal is to try to make the cut, and that's a bad way to think."

Lee also credited his 66 to a change of attitude. "I think a lot of guys here this week are in a position where they try a little too hard because it's an £800,000 sterling tournament and not all the big names are here," said Lee.

Paddy Gribben finished best of the Irish with a two-over-par 74 while Eamonn Darcy and Gary Murphy both returned disappointing scores of 78. Philip Walton was a further shot back with a 79.