Tiger moves into contention with 66

Tiger Woods' turnaround was just as drastic as the change in weather Friday, from a gloomy fog to spectacular sunshine.

Woods chipped in for eagle from 34 yards on the final hole in the Buick Invitational, giving him a 6-under 66 and sending a strong message about the state of his knee, not to mention his game.

"It's just getting into the rhythm of competing," he said.

Out of competition for two months because of knee surgery, Woods wasted no time getting into contention. He was only two strokes behind Marco Dawson and Brad Faxon heading into the weekend of a tournament where he has never finished worse than fifth.

When the day began with low-hanging clouds over Torrey Pines, Woods replaced his ball under a cedar tree on the 10th hole to resume his first round. He was 1 under par and going nowhere in a hurry.

By late afternoon, sunshine covered the Pacific coast line, colorful hang gliders dotting the horizon. Woods was just short of the ninth green and walked only to the edge of the putting surface to gauge his chip.

It came off perfectly.

The ball skipped over a mound, slowed to a crawl and disappeared in the cup for eagle. Woods raised his arms in triumph and the gallery around him erupted in cheers.

Just like old times.

"That was just a feel shot," Woods said.

Faxon got a lesson last week at Pebble Beach on how to stay patient. He played with Davis Love III, who struggled early in the tournament and wound up winning. Faxon was plodding along until making five birdies over his final eight holes for a 64.

He and Dawson (66) were at 10-under 134.

Woods isn't the only comeback story this week. Dennis Paulson, a former PGA Tour winner who lost his card this year, made the most of his opportunity to play in the Buick with rounds of 68-67.

He was in a large group at 135 that included first-round leader Arron Oberholder (65-70) and Fred Funk (71-64).

Woods, who was at 136, admitted to some rust after finishing his first round on the North Course with a birdie and a 2-under 70. He packs ice on his knee in the evening, followed by routine stretching in the morning.

By the time he started his second round, the sun had broken through the clouds and Woods had a spring in his step.

"My leg got better as the day went on," he said.

The driver is another matter.

After hitting just three fairways in the first round, Woods continued to send his tee shots into the rough. The only exception was when he teed off with a 2-iron.

He still managed to climb up the leaderboard, rolling in a 20-footer on No. 14 and hitting a 2-iron into 6 feet on the 227-yard 16th hole.

"I knew my driver would be the last club to come around," Woods said. "It's just timing, and a lot of trust. Toward the end, I just said the hell with it. Just hit it."

That he did, ripping his drive down the middle of the fairway on the 613-yard ninth hole, and a 3-wood to the first cut of rough just short of the green.

This was one shot he knew how to hit. During the early stages of rehabilitation, Woods was restricted to chipping and putting, and he often practiced inside his house. Instead of a coffee table, he aimed at a pitch mark on the green.

"I tried to fly it over the ball mark, and it turned out perfect," he said. "The pitch shot is something I've been working on because it's all I could do for awhile. After a long day like today, to end on that one is pretty cool."

Friday turned out to be a great test of his knee, walking 27 holes over the soggy turf of Torrey Pines. Woods felt so good that he decided to play next week at Riviera in the Nissan Open.

When he returned to the course at 7:30 a.m., he told caddie Steve Williams that he would need to get to 6 or 7 under par.

"I happened to do even better, which is a bonus," he said. "I knew if I got to 6 or 7 under I would be right back in the ball game. As you can tell, I'm rusty off the tee. If I can get the ball in play, I feel pretty good about my chances."

Dawson feels good about being at the top, considering his back was giving him problems. He still managed a bogey-free 66 on the North Course, ending with two birdies.

"Hopefully, it doesn't get any worse," he said.

Phil Mickelson, who caused a stir last week by saying Woods was the only player good enough to overcome the equipment he was "stuck with," had a 68 and was at 7-under 137.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page