Lee Westwood insists he is ready to win his first major title after taking a share of the lead with two rounds remaining in the Masters at Augusta.

The 36-year-old Englishman is joined by compatriot Ian Poulter on eight under par, two shots clear of the field.

"I'm good enough to win a major," Westwood, who finished third at the 2008 US Open, told BBC Sport.

Poulter, also seeking a maiden major, added: "To be sitting at the top of the leaderboard was in my dreams."

Westwood and Poulter are two shots clear of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, KJ Choi, Ricky Barnes and Anthony Kim, with YE Yang another shot adrift going into the third round in Georgia.

"I know if I play well over the weekend I'm going to have a great chance to win a major championship," said Westwood, who finished joint-third at the 2009 USPGA and Open and is bidding to becoming England's first major champion since Nick Faldo won his third Masters title in 1996.

"It's the only thing really missing in my career, I've won everywhere around the world and money lists. Obviously it would mean a lot to win a major.

Poulter and Westwood second round highlights

"I've come close over the last couple of years and I know I've got the game and I know I've got the temperament. It's just going that one step further and finishing it off.

"I've put a lot of effort in since the USPGA last year and it's nice to see it paying off so quickly. To be leading the tournament is exactly where I want to be."

Westwood made his best-ever start to a Masters on Thursday by carding an five-under-par opening-round of 67, with counterpart Poulter one shot back.

On Friday, Westwood eagled the second and reached 10 under after 13 holes to lead Poulter by two.

But the world number four dropped two shots at the 14th after tangling with the trees and pine needles down the left, before clawing a shot back at the 15th only to bogey 18 for a 69.

"This is the kind of golf course which gives with one hand and takes away with the other," Westwood explained. "If you hit poor shots you're going to get penalised. It's a very fine margin out there.

"We had a bit of a wait on 14 when I had got into a stride and I struggled to regain my concentration and made double-bogey there, but I bounced back with a good birdie at 15.

"Everybody's going to make mistakes, it's just about keeping them to a minimum and maximising the opportunities you get.

"I wasn't paying a great deal of attention to the leaderboard, I was really just focusing on my own game. It's great myself and Ian being up there in the lead, it shows you how strong English golf is at the moment."

Poulter came into the event brimming with confidence after his maiden win in America at the WGC Match Play earlier this year and, despite a bogey at the last, shot a 68 to put himself firmly in contention.

"It's Friday, so I don't want to get carried away," he said. "But hopefully we can have a good weekend and be in a similar situation come Sunday night."

Westwood and Poulter will be the final pair out on the course at 1945 BST and Westwood felt playing together would give the Englishmen an upper hand.

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"We get on very well," he added. "We had a practice round together on Tuesday and we hang out a lot together, especially when I'm over here playing in America.

"I think it will be a bit of an advantage playing together, it will add a bit more relaxation to it."

World number one Woods partners Choi for the third day in a row and they will go out just in front of Westwood and Poulter, while Mickelson is with USPGA champion Yang again.

Woods maintained his position two shots off the lead after an uneventful two-under 70, comprising three birdies and a bogey.

The four-time Masters champion, who has not played since November because of a sex scandal, said: "On this golf course you can make up shots and you can lose shots - that's one of the beauties of it. It should be an exciting weekend.

"My practice has been really consistent. I didn't have the luxury of playing tournaments coming in here, so I had to be more focused on my practice sessions coming into it and take more out of them than most people would.

"When you can't play you have to concentrate on your practice. It feels good. It feels really good. It feels good to be back."

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