He scuffed it around in 71 strokes, one better than his first round. He carded four birdies and three bogeys.
Pedestrian, at best, compared to what others were shooting Friday.
C’mon, the guy’s only 1-under-par through 36 holes. He’s seven strokes from the lead, and has 18 players ahead of him, including five players who have combined for 10 major tournament titles, including four Masters, three U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships, not to mention a handful of young stars not easily dismissed.
Why are we even talking about this?
Because he’s Tiger Woods, that’s why.
Think that par at No. 18 in the early evening gloaming wasn’t big? Woods was so deep in the woods off the 18th tee he was forced to punch out toward the adjoining 10th fairway. His blind wedge shot back to the green came in over the flagstick, spun back toward the hole and hit Stuart Appleby’s ball, leaving Woods a 6-footer for par instead of a tap-in.
He made it, of course, and that’s why Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson and 13 others know exactly where Woods lurks.
Woods has little margin for error in the final two rounds, particularly with thundershowers expected throughout Saturday and winds whipping into the 20 mph-plus range. High temperature is expected to be 72, with that plummeting into the 60s for Sunday.
“This golf course, anything can happen,” Woods said. “Obviously, I’ve got to make a few more birdies and eliminate mistakes, hit the ball a bit closer than I have. You can come back pretty quickly here. You’ve just got to keep being patient and keep hanging in there.”
Woods has rallied for victory here before, charging from six strokes back in 2005. The 36-hole (and 54-hole) Masters record is eight shots, accomplished in 1956 by Jack Burke, who actually trailed by nine during that final round.
Will tougher conditions play into Woods’ hands? Or will his balky putter and irons remain stuck in neutral?
Whatever, he’s scheduled to tee off at 1:10 p.m. Saturday, with nine twosomes to follow, and if he can post, say a 68, what’s going to happen as twilight descends on Augusta National?
With Woods, you always have to wonder.
