Golf: Six weeks ago Ben Curtis was 396th in the world and totally unknown. Now he is the British Open champion, 33rd in the world and was sharing the early lead with Spain's Sergio Garcia at six under par 64 in the NEC Invitational.

Darren Clarke, the only European to capture one of golf's World Championship titles, is in a tie for second place with Tiger Woods after a superb 65.

Curtis hardly knew whether to be delighted or disappointed with his score of 64. On the one hand it was what all golfers want; on the other, it means that Curtis, who is getting married on Saturday, is highly likely to have a really late tee-time that day, so putting back the wedding ceremony well into the evening.

"It was one of my best ball-striking rounds for a long time and my game is back where I want it to be," said Clarke. "I have been here practising hard since Sunday and all the hard work is paying off.

"Last week I felt the rough, especially around the greens, was too penal, but here the course set-up is perfect and it gives you a chance to play your shots."

Paul McGinley returned a level par 70 thanks to a birdie birdie finish, but was unhappy with his driver. "I played okay but I didn't drive the ball particularly well."

Padraig Harrington, after opening with two straight birdies, then dropped five shots over his next 11 holes and was suffering with the change in his shot pattern from the tee, but a third birdie at the 17th gave him a three-over-par 73 at the end of the day.

Curtis has decided that this will be the best week of his life regardless of the golf, and said afterwards: "I went out there just to have fun and the hole kept on getting bigger and bigger."

Asked what his fiancee, Candace Beatty, thought of a late, late wedding, Curtis said: "I saw her on the 18th tee and she was smiling and cheering, so I guess it's okay."

An ugly and unlucky triple-bogey seven sent Lee Westwood away totally dispirited yesterday.

Westwood, still in the depths of a three-year slump, had produced some of his best-scoring of the season and was lying joint second at four under par when he hit his tee-shot to the 17th. It flew towards a fairway bunker and had it carried another six inches would have cleared it.

Instead it buried itself under the lip of the trap, almost completely invisible. There was nothing he could do but hack the ball back down the face of the bunker, where it came to rest against his hastily vacated footprints.

His next shot found thick rough green-high, and Westwood's first attempt to chip onto the green produced an air shot, his club passing completely under the ball. His second succeeded only in moving forward 10 yards, still in the rough. Finally, he chipped to five feet and, bravely in the circumstances, holed the putt.

A final bogey at the 18th left him behind and in a state of despair. Spying a clutch of journalists waiting to talk to him, he came over and said: "Let me interview you. Every time I hit a bad shot I get completely ******. Pardon my French, but I'm getting pissed off with it now.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Westwood, who had missed the cut in last week's US PGA championship, went on: "I practised hard Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday . . . then hit an average drive at 17, pushed it a little, it pitched in the face of the trap, and when I got there I could see about three dimples of the golf ball. What can you do?"

Earlier, Westwood had hit a drive 328 yards down the third fairway when a figure emerged through the huge trees that separate that hole from the long second, which runs parallel.

It turned out to be Westwood's Ryder Cup team-mate, the Dane Thomas Bjorn, who, after hooking his tee-shot to the second by some 50 yards, was now utilising the third fairway.

As Westwood's group approached, Bjorn hit a metal wood in an attempt to clear the trees and regain a place on his own fairway.

There was a tremendous clattering as ball met branch and it fell down in the rough, but just the right side of the forest to enable Bjorn to reach the green with his third.

When the two men drew closer, Westwood, teasing, said: "Nice shot, Thomas."

Bjorn replied, grinning: "That was a four-wood - and it hit three trees." The Dane saved his par and West holed for a birdie.

Westwood played the next 13 holes in three under, to be four under for the tournament when Sod's Law struck again.