Rose a thorn in Tiger's side

European golfers have been suffering at the hands of Tiger Woods lately.

But today Justin Rose could tell the world today he knocked the world number one off the top of a leaderboard.

How long it lasted remained to be seen, but Woods had certainly left the door open after adding only a one over par 72 to his opening 66 at the Deutsche Bank championship in Boston.

Winner of his last four tournaments, during which he went head-to-head with Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Paul McGinley and Paul Casey and beat them all, Woods went off the boil after resuming with a one-stroke lead over the field.

Three back nine bogeys set him back, but switching to the outward half Woods had eight pars and a birdie on the sixth to reach halfway on the four under total of 138.

At 103rd on the US Tour money list this season Rose is, of course, 102 places behind Woods.

But he was only one stroke behind overnight and with Woods slipping back the 26-year-old’s opening birdie when he teed off again made him leader on his own.

Ryder Cup Swede Robert Karlsson, meanwhile, was only two behind and joint seventh with two holes of his second round remaining.

Compatriot Carl Pettersson comprehensively failed, however, in his last-ditch attempt to impress Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam.

Pettersson, twice a winner in America in the past 12 months, would have been leading the points race if he had been a member of the European tour from the start of qualifying, but rounds of 76 and 75 left him near the rear of the field and he was set to miss the cut by as many as seve shots.