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OPEN GOLF: Tiger poised to pounce at Lytham
Tiger Woods is perfectly placed going into the weekend at the Open
TIGER WOODS is in perfect position to
win his 15th Major title and fourth Open after holing a
bunker shot at the 18th to leave him four shots off the
pace.
Woods again played with great control
and patience, dropping his only shot of the day at the par-5 11th.
In 36 holes he has made only two bogeys, employing a strategy based
largely on eliminating unnecessary risk.
“I'm very pleased at where I'm at,”
said Woods. “We're at the halfway point and I'm right there in the
mix.
“With the weather that's forecasted
on Sunday and tomorrow, it's going to be a good weekend.
“I figured I had a game plan that I
thought would fit well on this golf course, and I figured I could
execute it. And I've done that so far.
“It's just patience on a golf course
like this. I'm hitting the ball in the fairway, and that's the thing
you just have to do. You can't control it out of the rough here. And
obviously the pot bunkers you can't do anything but come out
sideways.”
“I'm very pleased at where I'm at – I'm right there in the mix." – Tiger Woods
The 36-year-old, who won his last Major
in 2008, will head out in the penultimate group alongside Denmark's
Thorbjorn Olesen.
The only two men behind them will be
Brandt Snedeker, yet to drop a shot in the championship, and Adam
Scott, who will start the day on -10 and -9.
Woods fired a second successive 67, a
score bettered on the day by only two men.
One was Snedeker, from Tennessee, who
had never made the cut at the Open before in three attempts. He added
a flawless 64 to his opening 66 and is yert to visit any of Royal
Lytham's 206 bunkers.
Meanwhile Scott's birdie at the 18th
gave him a 67 to leave him just a shot behind as he continues his
pursuit for a first Major title.
The only other player within five shots
of the lead is Scotland's Paul Lawrie.
The chasing pack is bunched and led by
the likes of Graeme McDowell, Jason Dufner and Matt Kuchar.
Experienced stars like Ernie Els, Luke Donald and Steve Stricker are
all still in contention.
As for the rest of the home contingent,
it was a frustrating day for both Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood. Both
have survived until the weekend but at +2 and +3 respectively it is
hard to make a compelling case for either of them featuring on Sunday
afternoon.
England's James Morrison is in the
group at -2, one ahead of Simon Dyson, Simon Khan and Martin Laird,
who has quietly made his way into the top 15.
Ian Poulter and Jamie Donaldson are the
other British players not over par.
More calm conditions are predicted for
Saturday but it seems likely to be a different story on the final day
when gusts of up to 30mph may buffet the Lancashire coast.
Given the majority of the field's
difficulty to score well in serene conditions over much of the first
two days, the leaderboard could well acquire a volatile quality come
Sunday afternoon.
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