By Steve Scott, golf correspondent

IT WAS supposed to be the Ryder Cup in three weeks’ time that was concerning everyone at the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles this week, but instead the focus turned to the 2014 venue with a scathing attack on the PGA Centenary Course from Lee Westwood.

Westwood, already securely in Nick Faldo’s team for Valhalla next month, shot a one-under 72, but then turned his guns on the Jack Nicklaus-design layout, which is undergoing a rolling programme of alterations by architect David McLay Kydd, the man responsible for the Castle Course at St Andrews.

After France’s Gregory Havret claimed a two-shot lead with a five-under-par round of 68 before the greens got too spiked up, Westwood four-putted from the front of the fifth green, taking three of them from 18 inches, while the chief horror story of many was India’s Shiv Kapur five-putting the 15th.

The Englishman’s solution to the greens was pretty simple and direct.

“Rip them up and redo them all,” he said. “It is my fear for the Ryder Cup coming here that they are just going to patch them up over the years.

“We were first on this morning and the thing they cut the hole with had left imprints, the greens are that soft.

“If the equipment they make the holes with marks the green, what chance have you got if half the field have been over them? I’m not a bad putter and can’t remember the last time I three-putted from 18 inches.

“We’ve had rain, but you build a course between two valleys in Scotland you do have to expect rain—it is not an excuse for having greens this bad.

“Hopefully they won’t use the designer who had two attempts at the seventh green, because if you need two to get it to that stage my kids could come up with a better design in one afternoon.

“I said the greens were bad last year, nothing was done and now the best pros in Europe can’t hit the hole from two feet.

“It is no good for the sponsors, no good for the tour, no good for Gleneagles—which is a fabulous place.”

Westwood would prefer they take the tournament back to the neighbouring King’s Course, which was abandoned as a tour venue because it doesn’t stretch to 7000 yards.

“It might be shorter, but what the hell—if people shoot low scores, they shoot low scores. It wouldn’t hurt for one year. They can’t bring the Ryder Cup on to greens like this.

“This week the guys who are contesting for places on this year’s team, they’re the people I feel really sorry for. There’s a lot riding on this week as well for the Johnnie Walker Championship, which is a big tournament in its own right.

“Getting in the team for the first time is a big deal for many of them—they are going to be feeling pressure and you don’t want to be standing over a three footer in that situation wondering if it’s going to run straight.”

Tournament chairman Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke, who was vocally critical of the PGA Centenary Course last year, agreed the problem of the softness of the greens would have to be addressed—but suggested it was the same for all.

“We have had a lot of rain, and last week the practice ground was closed,” said Montgomerie, who birdied the last for a one-over 74 he considered “not out of the tournament yet by a long shot.”

“It may be that we have to look at it in the future, but not before this weekend I hope.”

Clarke laughed off his friend Westwood’s suggestion, but admitted to a few missed putts as he recorded one-under 72—having been three-under with four to play—still doing his wildcard prospects for Valhalla nothing but good.

“It might be that they have to take a look at the greens prior to the Ryder Cup here, given that the date is late-September and early-October,” he said.

“It’s a similar problem to Wentworth, everyone knows what the difficulty is and you have to be patient with it.”

Havret only 13 months on from his win at the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, proved his heart is in the Highlands with his exceptional 68 to lead, but behind him the Ryder Cup race remains a frenzied affair.

As Clarke continued to make his case, those filling the automatic qualification slots for Valhalla jockeyed for position behind.

Two of the men currently in possession of the last three places—Justin Rose (73) and Soren Hansen (71) —did enough yesterday to give a strong indication they can hold on to the precious places over the weekend.

However, 10th-placed Oliver Wilson and his closest rival Martin Kaymer did less well, both shooting three-over 76s as their immediate pursuers, Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty, made up some ground.

Fisher needs less than l10,000 to overhaul Wilson and Kaymer if those pair miss the cut, and shot a one-under 72.

Dougherty, who needs a top 20 finish to get 10th place in the same circumstances, returned a par 73.