Lee Westwood admitted he had been "kicked where it hurts" in the US PGA Championship as Adam Scott and Justin Rose remained in contention for their second major titles of the year.

Westwood had seemingly done the hard work by getting through 16 holes in level par for the day and four under overall, despite playing the vast majority of those in heavy rain at Oak Hill.

But after the rain stopped, the 40-year-old Englishman dropped three shots in his last two holes to card a 73 that left him one under par, six behind Masters champion Adam Scott and five adrift of US Open winner Rose.

Scott added a 68 to his opening 65 and playing partner Rose shot a stunning 66 thanks to a brilliant homeward nine of 29, only eclipsed by Jason Dufner who set a new course record with a stunning round of 63. Former US Open champion Webb Simpson had earlier equalled the previous course best of 64.

"I played pretty well," said Westwood, who is still seeking his first major title at the 63rd attempt after letting a two-shot lead slip going into the final round of the Open at Muirfield last month. The course was playing really long, the par-four 17th was unreachable, and I was just ticking along before getting kicked where it hurts on the last two holes. I would like to have finished par, par but I am in red figures going into the weekend and still have a chance."

Rose admitted he had been "hanging on for dear life" after starting on the 10th and dropping shots at his first two holes, but after reaching the turn in 37 the Englishman stormed home in 29 with six birdies - the longest coming from 15ft.

"I sit here today really relishing the opportunity on the weekend to try and win another major with no hesitation, which there may have been a few years ago because you don't know how it's going to pan out or how you're going to deal with it," said Rose, who finished fourth in the Open as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998 but then missed 21 cuts in a row after turning professional the next day.

"It's wonderful to be in this situation right now, talking about having done it, talking about feeling like you can win more, believing in yourself and not talking about how I hope it could happen this week. So I think that alone makes it easier."

Only golfing legends Gene Sarazen (1922), Ben Hogan (1948), Jack Nicklaus (1980) and Tiger Woods (2000) have won the US Open and US PGA in the same year.

That is Scott's aim after he claimed his first major title at Augusta National in April, the Australian having also finished third in the Open at Muirfield last month. "I think the platform has never been better for me to go on and win multiple majors," said Scott, who sent his good friend Rose a text saying 'This is our time' after his Masters triumph.

"I guess you've got to take the confidence and form of winning a major and run with it. I've sat in front of you guys and told you that these are going to be my best years, and generally they are for any golfer.But I'm doing everything I can to make sure that they are and, you know, I can't take my foot off the gas just because I achieved something great at Augusta."

The course record of 64 was set by Hogan in 1942 and equalled by Curtis Strange in 1989, but Simpson could have created history with the first sub-63 round in major history. He was seven under par after 15 holes and needed to play the last three in one under to shoot a 62, but could only manage a bogey and two pars.

"It was in my head," Simpson said. "I didn't want to talk about it because I thought it would be the wrong thing to focus on. This game is so funny. When you try to make birdies it seems like you don't. It's so hard because you want to for the record but you can't do that on a golf course this hard."

Scot Marc Warren has, meanwhile, upstaged some of his more fancied rivals to easily make the halfway cut on his tournament debut.

Warren felt right at home in the miserable morning conditions with rain falling steadily and then abating as the afternoon half of the draw were starting to tee-up on the course.

The Glaswegian pulled off the shot of his round, and in steady rain, at his first hole when he landed a 6-iron to six feet and holed the putt.

It was the first of four birdies in Warren's round and with suggestions after his back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 the Scot could match Simpson in equalling the course record.

However, while Warren dropped a shot at the 15th in an eventual round of 67 for a one over par, the 32-year old could be rightfully proud of his achievement. "Today I just focussed on one simple swing thought and that really worked as I hit 15 greens out there, and on a golf course like this you have to be pleased with that."

In contrast, disappointed fellow Scot Martin Laird spent some 15 minutes after his round joining his wife, manager, coach and caddy discussing where it went wrong with Laird posting scores of 71 and 73 for a four-over par tally.

Richie Ramsay joined Laird in missing the expected three over cut off mark with scores of 72 and 75.

Scotland's other three players - Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and Scott Jamieson were out in the afternoon half of the draw.