The British aren't coming – they're here, with no plans to leave

With Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter carrying the lead into Saturday's third round, the English are 36 holes away from their greatest individual golf triumph in 14 years. A win by either of them would be cause for celebration in Mother England, says Mike McAllister, who warns that nothing is yet guaranteed.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- We heard the rumblings out in the Arizona desert in February and now the noise is threatening to reach ear-splitting decibels. The English golfers want to be heard. They want us to take notice. They want respect.

Actually, they already deserve our respect, considering three of the top seven players in the Official World Golf Ranking have the flag of St. George's Cross next to their names.

"We're not up at the top of the World Rankings by mistake, you know," said the top Englishman on that list, Lee Westwood. 

Of course, those rankings are based on a formula that only Mensa candidates and nuclear physicists can understand. Winning tournaments, meanwhile, is much more accessible. Winning tournaments is something everybody comprehends.

That's why when Ian Poulter claimed the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship outside Tucson two months ago, it was a victory not just for sartorial elegance, but for Mother England. A volley across the bow, if you will.

And now the English are 36 holes away from their greatest individual golf triumph in 14 years.

That's how long it's been since Nick Faldo won the last of his three Masters titles. But on Saturday, fellow countrymen Westwood and Poulter -- currently tied for the lead at 8 under, two strokes ahead of the field -- will tee off in the final group, each intent on moving into position to end that drought on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National.

"There was a lot of talk before this tournament that the English guys are in good form," said Poulter, whose 68 on Friday tied Chad Campbell for the low round of the day. "They certainly are -- and we are sitting at the top of the leaderboard now."

But will they be comfortable in that spot?

No doubt Westwood -- who followed his opening 67 with a solid 3-under 69 -- and Poulter will be comfortable playing together when they tee off at 2:45 p.m. Earlier in the week, they played nine holes together in a practice round, agreeing on a friendly wager just to make things interesting.

Westwood won seven of nine holes and said Friday, "That's about as easy as it gets. I offered him a press, but he wouldn't take that."

Poulter, who finished a few hours ahead of Westwood on Friday, bemoaned the loss of money to his good friend.

"Yeah, he would remember that," Westwood said with a sly smile. "Every pound is a prisoner to him."

But despite the jocularity between the two -- and the obvious respect each player has for the other's golf abilities -- they each know a battle must soon be waged. And all kidding aside, there will be stress.

After all, Westwood will go to sleep Friday night as a leader/co-leader for the first time in any round of his 49 major starts. And Poulter not only has never been a leader/co-leader in any of his previous 28 major starts, he's never led after any round of a stroke-play event during his PGA TOUR career.

Westwood, to be clear, has found himself with a lead in a major during a round. He also wants to make it clear that he doesn't mind his position now. "If you're going to win the tournament, you've got to be in the lead at some stage," he said.

And Poulter, to be clear, has one of the hottest putters going this week. He needed just 54 putts in the first two rounds; just four players have required less. Confidence on the greens can induce sound sleep for any golfer.

"Every time he hits a putt, it looks like it's going to go in," said Steve Stricker, who played with Poulter in the first two rounds. "He's been hot for two days."

Still, there's nothing comfortable about what lurks below the leaders. Consider this name: Tiger Woods. Or this name: Phil Mickelson. Or this name: Anthony Kim.

The three American stars -- teammates on last year's victorious Presidents Cup team -- are in a five-man pack at 6 under. While cutting the English down to size isn't their top priority, it would certainly be a nice side benefit.

Just having Woods himself situated near the lead will be most unsettling. It's evident that very little rust exists in his game, and with Woods hoping to end his own little drought at Augusta National -- he hasn't won here since 2005, no doubt an eternity for him -- you know he's feeling pretty jazzed about his chances.

"This golf course, you can make up shots and you can lose shots," Woods said. "That's one of the beauties of it. It should be an exciting weekend."

It certainly could be a memorable weekend for the English. A Masters win by Westwood (arguably the best player without a major) or Poulter (arguably the most stylish player without one) will be cause for celebration among the tea-and-crumpets crowd.

The return to prominence of English golf may not need verification, but it could certainly use all the validation it can get.

"We ought to be contending in these major championships," Westwood said.

Contending ... and winning.