Tiger Woods lost his way on the back nine on his opening round of his comeback tournament, but the Hero World Challenge witnessed the American at his best in round two on Friday. After a disappointing day one, Woods found his mojo, and in some style too, shooting a fabulous second round to stay in contention at the Bahamas on Friday.
Woods had jumped to four-under par after eight holes in his first round of competitive golf in over 15 months, but that solid start turned into a nightmare, as the 40-year-old, returning from a back injury, struggled in the final ten holes, eventually finishing with a one-over 73.
However, the second round was much better, as Woods shot a bogey-free seven-under 65, which included four birdies in his last eight holes.
"I really had it dialled in both ways," Woods said. "I was working it both ways and I really had nice control of my trajectory. That was key. I was able to keep this ball down when I needed to and send it at times.
"(The first round) was a lot to build on. Through eight holes I had it. I lost it. But I made some silly mistakes there and bogeyed two par 5s. (In the second round) I did not do that. I turned those holes around.
"Consequently, the momentum, the feel of the entire round changes."
Woods is now six shots behind the leaders Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama. Johnson shot a second consecutive 66 to take the joint-lead along with Matsuyama, who followed up his first round 65 with a 67 on Friday.
The opening round leader – JB Holmes – had a day to forget, as the American could only manage a 73, leaving his five shots off the pace.
Matt Kuchar and Louis Oosthuizen are closest to the leaders on ten-under, two shots behind Matsuyama and Johnson. Defending champion Bubba Watson bounced back from a disappointing first round 72 with a fantastic 63 on Friday, pushing him to within three shots of the lead.
Jordan Spieth is tied seventh on seven-under, while Henrik Stenson and Rickie Fowler are locked up with Woods on six-under after two rounds.
Englishman Justin Rose withdrew from the Hero World Challenge, leaving just 17 competitors in the competition.
