SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods salvaged a potentially disastrous day to remain in contention on a course where he has a history of making up ground.
The seven-time Farmers Insurance Open champion began his day with a birdie opportunity from 25 feet at the first. Four putts later he was closer to the cut than the lead and scrambling.
“It’s just poa [grass]. I tried to ram it in the hole and it bounced, and hit obviously a terrible third putt, pulled it. The second putt, it’s just what happens on poa. I tried to take the break out and it just bounced,” he explained.
Woods rallied with birdies at Nos. 6, 8, 9 and 10 to move to 5 under for the week. Although he bogeyed the 17th hole for a 1-under 71 he remained tied for 17th and six strokes off the lead.
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In 2007 at Torrey Pines, Woods was tied for 12th place and seven strokes off the lead after 36 holes before closing with rounds of 69-66 to win by two strokes. He managed an even more impressive rally in 1999 when he was tied for 36th after two rounds and nine strokes back.
“I shot 62-65 on the weekend [in 1999 to win by two shots],” Woods said. “If you make the cut on the number here, anything can happen on the South Course, especially the way it’s playing now. It’s so much more difficult and I think so much more volatile because of the fact that if you shoot a good round out here on the South, you’ll move up the board.”