AKRON (Ohio), Aug 20: Tiger Woods double-bogeyed his final hole at the $7.5 million WGC-NEC Invitational to fall back into a share of the second-round lead with Briton Luke Donald on Friday. A triple winner at the Firestone Golf Club, the world number one had looked in complete control and was two strokes clear of the field with five holes to play.
But Woods suddenly lost his way. He bogeyed the 14th and a double-bogey six at the par-four 18th left the 29-year-old American muttering to himself and angrily flailing one of his clubs.
He finished with a level-par 70 to join Donald on four-under 136.
Playing the back nine first, Donald made a bogey on his second hole but then notched three successive birdies from the 13th followed by another on the second to record a three-under 67.
One shot back on a tightly-packed leaderboard was a group of five players led by world number two Vijay Singh and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who shared the overnight lead with Woods but slipped back after carding matching one-over 71s.
Irishman Paul McGinley (66), Dane Thomas Bjorn (67) and American Chris DiMarco (70) were also on 137.
Woods’s problems at the 18th began when he sliced his tee shot into the trees on the right before hitting a branch with his second.
The US Masters and British Open champion then overshot the green with his third.
Singh, who strung together 17 consecutive pars in the third round of last week’s US PGA Championship, reeled off 10 consecutive regulation figures on Friday before sinking a 25-foot birdie putt at the par-four 11th.
Australia’s Stuart Appleby (70), Briton David Howell (68) Spain’s Sergio Garcia (70) and Americans David Toms (67) and Justin Leonard (66) also remained in the thick of the title chase on two-under 138.
Leading second round scores:
136 — Luke Donald (Britain) 69, 67; Tiger Woods (US) 66, 70.
137 — Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) 70, 67; Vijay Singh (Fiji) 66, 71; Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 66, 71; Paul McGinley (Ireland) 71, 66; Chris DiMarco (US) 67, 70.
138 — Stuart Appleby (Australia) 68, 70; David Howell (Britain) 70, 68; David Toms (US) 71, 67; Sergio Garcia (Spain) 68, 70; Justin Leonard (US) 72, 66.
139 — Kenny Perry (US) 70, 69.
140 — Mike Weir (Canada) 71, 69; John Daly (US) 71, 69; Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) 72, 68; Ryan Palmer (US) 72, 68; Zach Johnson (US) 70, 70; Davis Love III (US) 67 73.
141 — Kenneth Ferrie (Britain) 71, 70; Nick O’Hern (Australia) 68, 73; Woody Austin (US) 73, 68; Rod Pampling (Australia) 71, 70; Phil Mickelson (US) 69, 72.
142 — Ian Poulter (Britain) 73, 69; Rory Sabbatini (South Africa) 73, 69; Colin Montgomerie (Britain) 70 72.
143 — Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 76, 68; Ted Purdy (US) 72, 71; Paul Casey (Britain) 75, 68; Thomas Levet (France) 72, 71.
144 — Tom Lehman (US) 73, 71; Trevor Immelman (South Africa) 73, 71; Sean O’Hair (US) 70, 74; Niclas Fasth (Sweden) 72, 72; Chad Campbell (US) 72, 72; Stewart Cink (US) 72, 72; Darren Clarke (Britain) 76 68.
145 — Lee Westwood (Britain) 73, 72; Fred Couples (US) 71, 74; Jay Haas (US) 76, 69; Jim Furyk (US) 72, 73; Shigeki Maruyama (Japan) 75, 70; Stephen Ames (Canada) 74, 71; Peter Lonard (Australia) 74, 71; Fred Funk (US) 74, 71.
146 — Adam Scott (Australia) 70, 76; Michael Campbell (New Zealand) 72, 74; Brent Geiberger (US) 70, 76; Tim Clark (South Africa) 71, 75; Marc Cayeux (Zimbabwe) 71, 75; Mark Hensby (Australia) 70, 76; Scott Verplank (US) 73, 73.—Reuters