Woods regains form
Tiger Woods only needed a day to return to form after a five-week layoff.
Woods had an eagle and seven birdies in a course-record-tying 8-under-par 64 Friday to move within two shots of the lead at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, China.
After an opening-day 72, Woods closed within two shots of India’s Jyoti Randhawa and one of Retief Goosen after starting the second round seven shots back.
Randhawa, the overnight leader, mixed six birdies with three bogeys for 69 and a two-round total of 10-under 134.
Goosen birdied three of his first four holes and finished with three straight for a 67.
Woods was tied for third with Michael Campbell, who had a 70, and one ahead of Marc Warren, Chawalit Plaphol and Padraig Harrington.
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson had eight birdies in a bogey-free round to set the record for the Sheshan International Golf Club at 64 earlier in the day. He was tied for 17th at 4-under.
Duo on top at LPGA
Hall of Famer Juli Inkster birdied two of her last three holes for a 3-under 69 and a share of the second-round lead with Moira Dunn in the LPGA Tournament of Champions in Mobile, Ala.
Inkster, 46, playing in just her fourth tournament since August, closed with a par to match Dunn (67) at 8-under 136 on Magnolia Grove’s Crossings Course.
Cristie Kerr had the best round of the day, a 6-under 66, that left her at 7 under. First-round leader Paula Creamer followed her opening 64 with a 74 to drop two strokes back at 6 under. Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 73 and sits seven strokes off the lead.
They like the long ball
Long hitters John Daly and J.B. Holmes and the distance-challenged duo of Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank shot 9-under 63s to share the first-round lead in the Merrill Lynch Shootout in Naples, Fla.
“I mean, for us, if one of us hits a decent drive, it’s going to be out there far enough,” Daly said after the modified alternate shot round.
Holmes, a rookie who won the FBR Open this year, finished second in the tour’s driving distance stats at 318.8 yards.