PGA Championship 2006

The marquee grouping of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy will be split up heading into the weekend with the three heavy hitters still in the hunt at the PGA Championship, the year's final major.

British Open champion Woods and U.S. Open winner Ogilvy were just one shot behind four players -- Swede Henrik Stenson, Briton Luke Donald and Americans Billy Andrade and Tim Herron -- sharing the lead at the halfway mark at eight-under 136.

Masters champion Mickelson was at 140, four strokes off the pace.

Woods posted two birdies on the front nine and two on the homeward side in a bogey-free 68 which he capped off with a 20-foot birdie putt at the last.

"I'm in good shape, only one back," said Woods. "There's a bunched leaderboard. You knew it was going to be that way with the soft greens.

"You've got to go out there and understand there's going to be a bunch of guys probably within four or five shots of the lead, and go out there and make some birdies here and there and try not to give anything back."

Mickelson, the defending PGA champion, had to scramble to his score after struggling with his accuracy off the tee.

"My ball striking has not been very good, but I feel it's just one little thing," said Mickelson. "I'm only four back and I feel I've been playing military golf, left and right.

"My short game has kept me in there. I'm fighting. I've just got to get it turned around."

Ogilvy was red-hot on the front nine, posting four consecutive birdies from the fourth hole to reach seven under par. He balanced two bogeys with two birdies the rest of the round.

"All in all it was good fun and I'm happy with how I played," the 29-year-old Australian said about his round and the experience of playing with two of the most talented and most popular players in the game.

"It can only help in the future, whether you play well or badly in a group like that. Experience-wise, a lot of guys would kill for experience like that."