Woods back in the hunt with a 67
By JOHN DIAMOND / Associated Press Writer
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) - Perhaps it is a sign of his talent that
Tiger Woods could shoot 67 at the U.S. Open and feel a bit let
down.
Bogeys on two of his last three holes Friday kept Woods out
of red numbers after two rounds at Congressional Country Club.
But some aggressive play early on turned the Tiger Woods plot
from "Will he make the cut?" to "Can he get back
into contention?"
Woods' two-round total of 1-over left him six shots off the
early pace and showed he has the game to score in U.S. Open conditions.
"I'm 1 over par. Actually anyone who's about 3 over par
is in the ballgame," Woods said.
How did Woods shave seven shots off his first round score?
"I did exactly the same thing. The only difference is
I hit more fairways and hit better iron shots," Woods said.
The round came together on the front nine, where Woods played
near flawless golf, missing no fairways and only one green. He
made birdie putts of six, eight, three and four feet, lacing middle-
and short-irons dead to the flag.
Much of Woods' trouble has come on Congressional's tough finishing
three holes. He is a combined 4-over on the 441-yard par-4 16th,
the 480-yard par-4 17th and the 190-yard par-3 18th.
It could have been worse.
After splashing his tee shot on the 18th on Thursday for a
double bogey, Woods came perilously close to a repeat Friday,
leaving his shot short of the green and catching a break when
the ball hung up on a steep bank.
"It was downwind, left to right, a perfect 8-iron for
me. I absolutely striped it," Woods said.
Then the wind changed direction, and the shot hung in the air
agonizingly and plunged onto the front bank just above the pond.
In drier conditions, the ball would have rolled into the water.
This one hung up, and Woods chipped close for his par.
"Thank God for the rain," Woods said.
Huge galleries tramped after Woods for the second day in a
row. While Woods is not a golfer to play to the galleries, he
clearly was feeling better. After his disappointing 74 Thursday,
Woods said he was in such a foul mood that no one wanted to talk
to him.
"I just watched TV by myself and just cooled off,"
Woods said.
Woods appeared more relaxed Friday. With each birdie, Woods
and caddie Mike "Fluff" Cowan exchanged a celebratory
fist-tap. And where Woods wore a grim mask and rarely spoke on
Thursday, he walked side-by-side chatting for some of the round
with playing partners Tom Lehman and Steve Jones.
Then he got over the ball and got down to business.
"If I felt comfortable with the pin placement, I went
right at it," Woods said.
Woods hit a few stray shots on the back nine but made up most
of the damage with deft work around the greens and a couple of
timely birdies. On the long, difficult par-4 10th hole, Woods
hit over the green - one of his most common errors - and found
his ball at the bottom of a close-mowed chipping area.
Pulling out a 3-wood, Woods chipped up the bank and on the
green to about three feet. When the par putt dropped, Woods pumped
his fist, knowing he had kept a good round going.
"Just phenomenal," Lehman said of that up-and-down.
A few holes later, Woods had another opportunity to use 3-wood,
but this time from about 265 yards out on the par-5 15th after
a mammoth 320-yard drive. Hitting his third from pin-high in the
left rough, Woods lobbed a delicate little wedge onto the green
and watched it roll to three feet for his sixth birdie.
Woods stood at 5-under for the day with three holes to play
but bogeyed the 16th after again hitting through the green. Then
a thunderstorm interrupted play, giving Woods two hours to contemplate
Congressional's difficult two finishing holes.
"I learned I need to drive the ball a little better, maintain
my cool a little better and keep patient all day," Woods
said, describing the experience he has gained from two days of
intense golf in steamy conditions. "This golf course is not
going to test your physical being, it's going to test your mind."
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