Tiger grinds for even-par 71 in second round

It was another challenging day on the links for Tiger Woods on Friday in the second round of the 142nd Open Championship at crusty and testy Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland. Once again, conditions were fast and firm, but players also had to make adjustments.

Tournament officials watered the greens overnight, so most of Thursday’s late starters who teed off early Friday struggled with the slower pace. Also, the wind blew out of the east, a 180-degree shift from Thursday. As a result, many holes played completely different.

For example, on Thursday, Woods reached the 575-yard, par-5 17th hole with two 4-irons. Friday, he crushed two 3-woods and didn’t get close to the putting surface.

“It was hard,” said Woods, who made a beautiful final-hole birdie to shoot even-par 71 and has a 36-hole score of 2-under 140.

A three-time Open champion, Woods walked off the course Friday tied for fourth with Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson, but most of the overnight leaders were just starting their second rounds.

“It’s going to get more difficult as the day goes on,” Woods predicted. “The last five holes, it got baked out. I’m in a good spot. I’m three back, but the guys gotta go out there this afternoon. We’ll see what they do.”

At the end of the day, Tiger’s 2-under score left him in a tie for second with Westwood, Stenson and Dustin Johnson, one shot back of leader Miguel Angel Jimenez (3-under).

An early starter with Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, Woods quickly realized how much things had changed overnight. At the par-4 first hole, he drove into the left rough and his second shot stopped short of the green, failing to release on the rock-hard turf. Tiger elected to putt and ran his third shot seven feet past the hole, but made a nice par save.

Woods just missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-4 second hole, then secured one at the 377-yard, par-4 third. After a good drive, he knocked his approach shot from 161 yards to about eight feet left of the hole and made the putt.

“I ripped a 7-iron,” Woods said. “I hit a good one there.”

The positive momentum didn’t last long. At the 204-yard, par-3 fourth, his tee shot finished on the front edge of the putting surface, 35 feet from the cup. Tiger left his birdie attempt three feet short and lipped out his par attempt.

“I just pulled it,” he said. “I absolutely yanked it.”

Woods rebounded quickly with a birdie at the 559-yard, par-5 fifth hole. His second shot from 289 yards stopped just short of the green, and Tiger nearly rolled in a lengthy putt for eagle.

At the par-4 sixth, Woods again came up short with his approach and needed a six-foot putt to save par. He two-putted the par-3 seventh from 45 feet for a par, but wasn’t as fortunate at the 441-yard, par-4 eighth.

With dust flying after he hit his second shot, the ball settling 60 feet short of the hole, Tiger’s birdie putt stopped four feet short of the cup and he three-putted again.

“I had a hard time figuring out which way it was going to break,” Woods said of his par attempt.

At the 554-yard, par-5 ninth, Tiger squandered a good birdie opportunity when his second shot from the right rough skidded into a bad lie, pin-high and left of the green. After a poor chip, Woods just missed a 25-foot birdie putt to make the turn in even-par.

Tiger made a key par save at the 469-yard, par-4 10th hole. Once again, his approach didn’t release and wound up short of the green. Woods pitched the ball 12 feet past the pin, but stroked in the putt.

Another poor second shot and pitch resulted in a bogey at the 387-yard, par-4 11th. Tiger almost regained the dropped shot at the 379-yard, par-4 12th, hitting a nice approach from 121 yards to 12 feet below the cup, but left his birdie putt short.

Woods had to grind again at the 200-yard, par-3 13th, leaving a 40-foot birdie try eight feet short, but he was equal to the task. After parring the 14th hole, Tiger saved par again with a six-foot putt at the par-4 15th.

Woods followed with a solid two-putt par at the tough 181-yard, par-3 16th hole, then failed to take advantage of No. 17. Two nice swings left him about 75 yards from the pin, but his third shot checked up 25 feet short of the flag and he two-putted for a par.

Tiger finished in style at the demanding 470-yard, par-4 18th hole. He drilled an iron down the fairway, then hit a wonderful approach shot from 213 yards to about 10 feet right of the cup and drained the right-to-left birdie putt.

“The greens were totally different,” said Woods, who sounded relieved to be finished. “All the uphill putts, we never got to the hole, and the downhill putts were running out.”

Tiger will begin third-round play Saturday at 10:10 a.m. ET with Westwood on the first tee.