Lee Westwood was seven shots behind leader Prayad Marksaeng after only nine holes of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.

Lee Westwood was seven shots behind leader Prayad Marksaeng after only nine holes of the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.

Loser of a play-off for the French Open on Sunday, Westwood was looking to take that form into this week - and next week's Open at Turnberry, of course.

But the former European No.1, who had his tonsils out following the Ryder Cup last September, was coughing and clearly under the weather.

That did not prevent him hitting a perfect opening drive off the 10th tee, but he dumped his approach in the hazard short of the green, double-bogeyed and then dropped another shot on the short 11th.

Birdies did come on the 13th and 14th, but Westwood then bogeyed the 490-yard par-four 16th and turned in 37.

Playing partner Ian Poulter, third in Paris, was only one better than that after mixing two birdies with three bogeys but 20-year-old Rory McIlroy, the third member of a group that inevitably took with it the biggest crowd of the morning, eagled the 560-yard 13th and remained two-under starting for home.

Thai golfer Marksaeng had five successive birdies from the 13th to take a one-stroke lead over Australian left-hander Richard Green, who matched McIlroy's eagle and then birdied the next two.

English trio Graeme Storm, Simon Dyson and Kenneth Ferrie were two behind in joint third place, while Irish Open amateur winner Shane Lowry, who made his first cut as a professional last week, and Paisley's Alastair Forsyth, were part of the group on two-under.

nAlastair Forsyth acknowledges the gallery after he had birdied the 17th hole this morning after teeing off at the 10th.