From caring for the pre-championship concerns of his young friend Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara yesterday turned his full attention to personal matters - with considerable success. There was a glorious eagle and only two bogeys in a round of 68 for 140, setting him on target for an elusive double.

"Mark is such a solid player; he's gets up and down so well," enthused playing partner Nick Faldo, the last man to complete the double of the US Masters and the British Open, which he did in 1990. Given O'Meara's liking for Birkdale, where he won the Laurence Batley Tournament in 1987 and was third in the 1991 British Open, we shouldn't be surprised at his prominence.

Perhaps golfers are not meant to break new ground at 41, but for O'Meara, Augusta changed everything. "Having finally broken through to win a major championship, I know that if I'm in contention I can do it. Apart from that, I still feel like I'm kind of the same player I've always been."

In the past, when faced with these conditions he would have had to justify himself as people reminded him of his remarkable successes in Pacific winds at Pebble Beach. Now, he had the confidence to talk of the difference without feeling inadequate.

"At Pebble (where he has won the National Pro-Am five times) you are not going to get the same amount of run because it is manicured more," he said. "But the big difference is the way the weather here can change so quickly. I was thinking this morning of how it was so perfect yesterday and then we have all this wind and rain. Amazing."

Then his thoughts returned to his young friend, who could have used some support as he struggled to avert a collapse. Would O'Meara like to be playing with him?

"I think you always enjoy playing with talented people and Tiger is a very talented player who happens to be a close friend of mine," he replied.

But what if the two of them were to be paired together in the final two-ball on Sunday, with the 127th British Open at stake? How would he feel then?

"We did that at Pebble Beech (in last year's National Pro-Am, where Woods finished 63-64) and fortunately I won," said O'Meara. "I imagine Tiger wants to do that again."

As if conscious he might be getting way ahead of himself, he quickly added: "We still have a lot of golf left."

But the idea clearly appealed. "That would be fun. I knew Tiger was playing well coming in here. It would be ideal if we could play together."

The eagle at the 547-yard 17th, which was clearly the highlight of O'Meara's round, was the product of a typically straight drive, an equally precise seven-iron second shot and a 16-foot putt.