Phil Mickelson fired a late eagle on a par-five 16th to shoot an even-par 72 to take the lead after the second round of the Players Championship on Friday.
Mickelson used his short game and took advantage of some late blowups by serveral players at the Sawgrass course to post a two-day total of five-under 139. His total score puts him one shot ahead of Australia’s Nathan Green.
Prior to the eagle, Mickelson had four bogeys, including three between the fifth and the eighth holes.
”I didn’t play well enough to shoot even par,” Mickelson.
Mickelson found himself in the lead after Australian Peter Lonard (72) carded two double-bogeys on the back nine, Sean O’Hair (69) three-putted number 18 and Swede Carl Pettersson (71) bogeyed his final two holes.
Those three and Australian Rod Pampling (71) are tied for third — two shots off the pace.
A notable absentee from the leaderboard was Tiger Woods, who struggled to make the cut.
Woods was in danger of making an early exit until the very end of the second round.
It wasn’t until he birdied the 16th and stayed dry at the last two holes that he was assured of staying alive, shooting a one-over-par 73 in relatively benign conditions.
The world’s best player posted a four-over 148 total — nine strokes back of Woods — and will need to do something very special to have any hope of adding a second title to the resume in the prestigious event.
Woods was particularly unhappy with his putting, claiming he had trouble getting used to the speed of the greens, which are slower than usual.
”I’ve left so many putts short and others have dove across the front of the hole because they didn’t have enough speed,” he said.
”I didn’t really hit it all that good, certainly didn’t make any putts today.
”They’re so slow, it’s hard to make yourself hit the putts that hard. You remember some of the putts being so fast and running out. They don’t do that anymore.”
Woods has not conceded defeat, and with good reason. He was five shots off the pace midway through last month’s Masters and by early Sunday had claimed the lead, although he eventually gave it away.
”I need to get into red numbers at day’s end [Saturday] and see where that stands,” he said. ”I’m going straight to the range to hit some balls and also putt for a while.”
Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal charged within five shots of the lead with a spectacular 66.
The two-time Masters champion was thinking about missing the cut after an opening bogey, but he stormed back with eight birdies, including four in a row.
”I was looking to that long flight home,” he said, asked what he was thinking after the first hole. ”It didn’t look very good but you have to keep on trying and it was early in the day.” – Sapa-AFP