Ian Poulter’s run of good form in the United States this year continued at The Players Championship when a 67 in his first round left him two strokes behind Ben Crane, the leader.

The Englishman’s round was his lowest of the 19 he has played at this event and was two strokes better than his previous best start at what is widely accepted to be the fifth most important strokeplay event in the world. Poulter has missed the cut in one event in the US this year, but has not finished outside the top 20 in four others.

Although he has tried a change in approach, playing one week on and one week off, this is his third event in a row and he believes he has built up a head of steam. It helps that having changed his putter after the Masters, where he finished twentieth, he feels like a new man on the greens. He says that he can line up putts much more confidently and is striking the ball better on the putting surface, too. He had only 26 putts in his round.

Poulter’s status in this country is that of a favoured son. Americans like the way he does not take a backward step. They admire his “in your face” character, which is so unlike the stiff upper lip they believe most Englishmen to have. They admire him for being slightly different and less understated than his countrymen. They even applaud his peacock clothes.

“This good form has been coming,” Poulter said. “I feel in control, relaxed and fresh.”

If there was a weakness in his game yesterday, it was the par-fives. On the 9th he allowed a statistic being displayed on a large greenside screen to disturb him, a childish error. The result was that he slightly thinned his approach so that it ended in a bunker at the back of the green. Just to prove that bad things do not come alone, he found his ball had embedded itself in sand in a way that made it resemble a fried egg. He played three strokes in succession while his partners stood and watched.

Justin Rose had a 70 that included five birdies, continuing the up-and-down nature of his recent play. Luke Donald’s 74 included an eight on the par-five 2nd, where the player who is rarely offline was in the trees twice. Ernie Els had a 73 that included two double bogeys while Graeme McDowell joined Tiger Woods and Sergio García in going round in 71, one under par.

Woods, who won here in 2001 but who has a poor record in the event overall, put his lacklustre score down to poor putting. “The first four holes I hit it inside 15 feet and didn’t make any of them,” Woods said. “I was in position all day to make putts and just didn’t do it. I hit the ball well. It’s just unfortunate I didn’t capitalise on my opportunities.”

An eagle at the par-five 16th meant Woods ended his round quite happy with his form, while García was disgusted with his. “I played so bad it made me want to puke,” the defending champion said. For once the Spaniard looked really downhearted. He is said to be upset at the way his relationship with Morgan-Leigh Norman, daughter of Greg, was ended by her.

García was actually three under par when he approached the 8th, a par-three, which was his 17th. Ten minutes later he walked off the green in the sticky heat of a Florida morning with his own temper having risen considerably as he ran up a five. “I know when I am swinging well and I certainly am not at the moment,” García said. “There is always next week.”