Nick Faldo revealed for the first time yesterday that he had thought about quitting golf. But it was not Mark James who had driven Britain's most successful post-war golfer to such a state, but his own form. Or rather lack of it.

Faldo was able to talk about the bad days of last summer, when all seemed gloom and doom, after confirming that his slump looks over by adding a second round 69 to his opening 67 to share the halfway lead at the Standard Life tournament at Loch Lomond.

"There seems to be life in the old dog yet," he said.

"I thought for a while that the mountain was too high to climb. But I've slowly chipped away and I've got to the snow now."

For the first time since he won the 1997 Nissan Open in Los Angeles 40 long months ago Faldo looked up and saw his name at the top of the leaderboard.

There were four other players alongside him - Ernie Els, Australians Richard Green and Adam Scott and Swede Jarmo Sandelin - but the fact remained that the six-time major winner, world number one for 81 weeks from 1992 to the start of 1994, looks a force again.

"I want to see how long it can last. That is what is inspiring me. My name is up there and I feel comfortable.

"I'm not trying to put any pressure on myself. I'm just trying to stick in there."

For the first five-and-a-half months of this year the evidence of his recovery was flimsy indeed - not a single top 20 finish.

But then came his seventh place in the US Open four weeks ago and, remarkably for a man who has struggled so much on the greens, he led the putting statistics there.

A 30-footer on the long third yesterday showed him the touch had not deserted him and he also birdied the seventh and 14th from 15 and four feet before paying for a drive that finished just six inches off the fairway at the next. It was his only bogey.

Faldo's mood was such that he even thanked the press for their coverage of the James issue. Not from the heart of his bottom as after his 1992 Open win at Muirfield, but this time it seemed from the bottom of his heart.

The hard part about winning is still to come, of course. Els, also back after a three-week break, needed only one day to remove most of the rust, holing a bunker shot for an eagle three in his 67.

Sandelin was three clear at nine under when he covered the front nine in 31, but after bogeying the difficult 10th he carved his drive at the 415-yard 12th and double-bogeyed to fall back into the tie on six under.

Scott is the 19-year-old Queenslander in only his fourth professional tournament. But paired with Faldo and Tom Lehman - 71 for five under - he again looked perfectly able to shine in such company with a 70.

"Nineteen? Wow," said Faldo. "He's got the full package."

Green's goal this week is obviously to win, but a top five finish should be good enough to save him from having to qualify for the Open.

Defending champion Colin Montgomerie would have been six under as well - and round in 66 - but for what he called a "disaster" on the 235-yard 11th.

"It wasn't a bad shot, but it plugged in the corner of the bunker," he said. "I did awfully well to get it out, about two feet."

Three more to hole out meant a double bogey five and that "stopped the whole thing, I'm afraid." He had turned in 32, but did at least got one shot back on the closing stretch.

A stroke behind the five leaders are former winner and former Open champion Tom Lehman, Kiwi Michael Campbell, who led the 1995 Open at St Andrews with a round to go, course record holder Retief Goosen, American Notah Begay, winner of his last two tournament, and little-known Swede Christopher Hanell.

Ireland's Des Smyth and Eamon Darcy both missed the cut of 145 after rounds of 76 and 75 respectively. Smyth was two shots out on 147 while Darcy finished on 152.

English pair Roger Chapman and Mark Davis both missed the cut, but were then disqualified - Chapman for signing for a wrong score and Davis for a wrong drop.

World number nine Jesper Parnevik also crashed out after rounds of 75 and 72. He was returning from three weeks off with a hip problem, but it still appeared to be bothering him and he will presumably be seeking more treatment before the Open.