World number one Tiger Woods appeared headed for a rare early exit when play was halted for the day on Friday after a rain delay in the second round of the $4,4-million Funai Classic.
Woods had two holes to play when the round was suspended, and almost surely needed a birdie-birdie finish to make the cut projected to fall at six-under.
Woods fell prey to a triple-bogey at the par-four fifth and a double-bogey at the par-three 12th on the Magnolia course, the harder of two courses in use for the event at the Disney World resort.
His seven at the fifth hole came after he drove into an unplayable lie, and at 12 he was plugged in a bunker.
It was the first time since the 2000 Masters that he has had a triple and a double in the same round.
Woods was in the left rough after his tee shot at the par-four 17th when play was halted for the day with 53 players still on the course. The delay, however, will likely serve as nothing more than a stay of execution for Woods.
Woods’s missed cut at the Byron Nelson in May ended a record streak of 142 successive events in the money, a feat that impressed some of his peers even more than his 10 major championship victories.
”That’s the best achievement he has, I believe, because it’s so easy to miss a cut out here,” Justin Rose said. ”Most guys can play well and miss the cut.”
”I’m pretty happy with 17 in a row. Tiger’s record, that’s pretty ridiculous,” added Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who has made 17 straight cuts, the second-best active streak on tour.
Prior to that, the last time Woods missed a weekend on the PGA Tour was in 1998, when he withdrew after two rounds of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am because of a postponement.
His only other outright missed cut was at the Canadian Open in 1997.
Tom Pernice was home and dry with the clubhosue lead, firing a 10-under 62 on the easier Palm course for a 15-under total of 129.
Sweden’s Carl Pettersson was also 15-under through 15 holes when play was halted.
While Woods still had a faint chance of making the cut, world number two Vijay Singh was certain to miss it after shooting 71 for four-under 140.
Singh’s demise was caused largely by a triple bogey at the par-four sixth, where he twice found the water.
While hardly a household name, the 46-year-old Pernice has two PGA Tour victories, and more than seven million dollars in career earnings, but his major claim to fame is the company he keeps. He is good friends with Singh, and they were paired together for the first two rounds here.
”That’s always helpful for me,” he said. ”I like to be able to socialise and having someone to talk to, no matter what it would be about, that’s helpful for me. I was paired with Vijay when I won the International [in 2001].”
Pernice took advantage of his crack at the Palm, nabbing 10 birdies in ideal morning conditions.
”I really like my putter, and I made some putts today. To shoot 62, you have to,” he said.
Ogilvy was in the clubhouse on 130 after a 66 on the tougher Magnolia course, while Brandt Jobe completed a 62 on the Palm for 131. – Sapa-AFP