Top-ranked Tiger Woods posted his second straight 5-under-par 67 on Friday to earn a share of the lead with Nick Watney at the halfway mark of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club. Both have 36-hole scores of 10-under 134.
A two-time runner-up in the tournament, Woods carded six birdies and one bogey for the second day in a row.
Paired with Ross Fisher of England and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand in the second-to-last threesome on a warm, hazy day, Woods birdied the par-4 first hole. He followed with four consecutive pars, lipping out for birdie from 12 feet at the par-4 fifth.
At the 200-yard, par-3 sixth, Woods blocked his drive into a swale on the right, chipped 13 feet past the hole and failed to convert the par putt. He parred the next two holes, catching a portion of the cup with a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-4 seventh, then birdied the par-4 ninth to make the turn in 1-under 35.
Playing in front of a large, sometimes overenthusiastic crowd and needing full concentration to cope with camera clicks and nearby car horns, Woods parred the 10th hole. At the par-4 11th, he rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt.
Woods made a nice save at the par-3 12th, missing the green to the right. He delighted the gallery by holing a 20-foot downhill birdie putt at the par-4 13th, the ball sneaking into the right side of the cup.
After a good drive at the par-5 15th, Woods came up short of the green with a 3-wood, chipped 11 feet beyond the hole and two-putted for a par. He nearly holed a 35-foot birdie putt at the par-4 15th, but settled for a par.
At the short, par-4 16th, Woods played conservatively off the tee, then hit a poor approach shot, the ball finishing short-left in tall grass. Faced with a difficult lie and stance, Woods wowed the fans by holing out his chip shot for an unlikely birdie.
© ETW CORP 2009