TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Tiger Causing Pain For Field

Getty Images

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the eighth hole as Phil Mickelson looks on during the second round of the 108th U.S. Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Course

ADVERTISEMENT

By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 14, 2008

Updated: 06/14/2008 12:22 am

SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods grimaced. He limped. He hopped on one foot after hitting a shot while standing on a concrete cart path, his left foot slipping and the surgically repaired knee twisting slightly.

He also played his back nine to the tune of a 5-under 30 - beginning the run with four birdies in five holes and adding another at 18 - to post a second-round 68 on Friday and move within one shot of the 36-hole lead held by Stuart Appleby.

The legend of the world's No. 1 golfer grows.

Tiger is so good he kicks butt on one leg.

Appleby shot 70 to earn the lead at 3 under, while Rocco Mediate (71) and Robert Karlsson (70) joined Woods one shot back and in a tie for second. But all eyes were on the world's No. 1 player.

"He wants to play some golf, we want to play some golf," Appleby said.

"I just know I'll be doing the best I can to actually throw a club toward his sore knee. It'll be an accident, of course."

Appleby was joking but the point was well made.

What's with this guy?

Beginning the day 1 over and four shots out of the lead, Woods went off No. 10 tee with an immediate three-putt bogey and eventually, even with an eagle on the par-5 13th, made the turn at 3 over. He looked, at times, very much like a golfer who had not played in nine weeks.

His prospects immediately grew more questionable after pushing his tee shot off No. 1 tee right and just inches off the cart path. While eligible for a free drop, taking relief would have moved Woods behind a tree.

Even with an abbreviated swing, Woods' left foot could be seen slipping on the concrete and the sore knee twisting during his follow through.

"That's part of the deal," he said. "That's part of wearing metal spikes. It is what it is. But I would much rather have the lie."

Woods' face contorted. He took weight off the leg, hopping in a small circle on his right foot. He limped up the fairway toward the green, where his ball had come to a stop 18 feet from the pin.

And he promptly made the birdie putt.

He made another on No. 2, his 11th hole. Two more at 13 and 14. Finally, another to finish at the 612-yard par 5 ninth.

"Well, I was just trying, to be honest with you, just trying to get back to even par for the tournament," Woods said. "I figured I was playing well enough and just made two mistakes for bogeys on his front nine.

"So I felt that if I played well in that back nine I could definitely get back to even par for the tournament and I would be right back in the championship and all of a sudden I started running them in there from everywhere."

At about the same time Woods was finishing on No. 9, Appleby was holing a 45-foot birdie putt on the 18th to take the solo lead, but it wasn't enough to claim the spotlight.

"A lot of people said, 'Well, Tiger's not going to win because he's had, whatever, a thousand weeks off,'" Mediate said. "It's not the same. When I talk about players, he's not included because he's just up there.

"You want him in this event. You don't want him 7 over. If you're going to win this tournament, it would be great to go up against him."

There are a number of players with that chance. Fifteen golfers are still within four shots of the lead. Davis Love III (69), Lee Westwood (71), D.J. Trahan (69) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (66) all are two shots back at 1 under.

Hometown favorite Phil Mickelson, however, is not one of the contenders. Although he was leading Woods by one shot after nine holes Friday, he shot a 37 on the back and finished with a 75 and 4 over.

"It's just a hard golf course to play from the rough," Mickelson said after hitting only six fairways. "I feel like there are some low scores out there if you hit the ball well. I'm just not playing from the fairway to do it."

Reporter Mick Elliott can be reached at (813) 281-2534 or melliott@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT