In the context of such an illustrious career it is perhaps sad to see Tiger Woods punch the air with delight on holing a putt which ensured weekend survival at the Players Championship. Even forgetting about his 14 major championships, Woods has prevailed twice here – the last time in 2013 – and has not missed a single cut when in the vicinity of Ponte Vedra Beach.
These, though, are curious Tiger times. As he battles through swing changes and the not insignificant matter of great expectation outweighing results, the 39-year-old is grateful for small mercies. He will also value the opportunity to play a further 36 holes.
“Obviously I need tournament golf,” said Woods, who is on level par. “My game is finally at a point where I can play tournament golf on a consistent basis. That wasn’t the case early in the year, when it wasn’t very good.
“But I worked my butt off to change it and I’m pretty proud of that – to be able to show up at Augusta and do what I did – and now I’ve just got to keep building from there.
“I haven’t gotten anything out of my rounds, that’s the thing. I should be a few under par each day. I’m just not capitalising on my opportunities.
“I’m hitting them 15 feet when they should be under 10. I need to do a better job of that, getting the ball close, because these greens are slow right now and you can capitalise on the speed of the greens.”
In truth Woods’s play – while laced with quality – remains erratic. His second round included six birdies and five bogeys. Each time he takes a step forward, a mistake seems to follow. That lack of consistency prevents Woods from competing at the business end of tournaments. And yet, optimism remains. “I feel like I’m playing well enough to get myself up there,” Woods added. “I just need one good round and narrow up that gap between myself and the lead and I feel like I can do that.”
Woods’s old adversary, Phil Mickelson, was among those to make an early exit. Mickelson’s Friday 76, leaving him at plus five, was rather typified by a triple-bogey seven on the 18th. Even more so than Woods, Mickelson’s tale remains one of fluctuating, unpredictable fortunes.
“I was thinking to myself as I was walking around, ‘I can’t believe I’ve actually won here,’’’ said Mickelson, the 2007 champion, with a rueful smile. “I kept hitting it in spots that were impossible recoveries. I made nine birdies in two days; that’s not bad. But I made quite a few mistakes to shoot five over.
“I’m not overly pleased but I’m not as discouraged as the scores would indicate just for the simple reason that, again, I made nine birdies. I hit a lot of good shots. It’s just that when I hit bad ones, it led to huge scores.”
Martin Kaymer’s hopes of becoming the first player successfully to defend the Players remain alive. His 72 leaves him at three under par, along with Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson. Kevin Na used Friday as the platform to establish himself as the man to catch, a 69 pushing him out to eight under. Jerry Kelly later appeared alongside Na.
Rory McIlroy added a 71 to his opening 69 to go to four under and remain in touch. An uneventful day for the world No1 was perhaps most notable for a careless bogey on the par-five 16th. Still, at a course which has never been his favourite McIlroy remains firmly in touch. His two playing partners, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, missed the cut.
To say Sergio Garcia was not best pleased with a second-round 72 which, he estimated, included the missing of “10 putts from eight or nine feet”, would be something of an understatement. On completing his Friday media duties the Spaniard asked where the nearest bin was, promptly walked towards said trash can with his putter, snapped it over his knee and made a deposit. Regardless of opinion towards Garcia, this was a snapshot of emotion with which amateur golfers the world over can only sympathise.
