Woods misses landmark but seizes lead

Tiger Woods came within a fraction of making history but still did more than enough to take command of the US PGA Championship.

Woods was nearly as hot as the 100 degree temperatures at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, firing a seven under-par 63 to claim a two-shot lead in the second round.

No-one in major history has carded a 62 but the world number one almost added another milestone to his incredible career when his curling birdie putt on the 18th green horse-shoed out.

Despite that his round will have set alarm bells ringing through the rest of the field as he steadily moved his way up the leaderboard to assume top spot.

Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm had started the day as leader but finished a distant seven shots off the pace after a six-over 76 dropped him into a share of 15th at one-over.

But the talk was all about Woods, who is on course to defend the title he won a year ago for the 12th and last of his major victories.

Of the six previous majors played at Southern Hills, each has been won by a 36-hole leader and if Woods plays anything like he did in the second round that statistic will be extended.

The world number one set the tone early with birdies at the first and fourth to get to one under for the championship before picking up another shot at the par five fifth.

After a bogey at seven he closed his front nine with another birdie to go out in 32.

“It was an ideal start,” Woods said. “I was three under through five and it just turned. I hit some nice shots out there.”

A birdie at 10 got the back nine off to a good start but it was a par that really jump-started Woods.

After hitting into a bunker, Woods had a 35-foot putt for his four on the 12th and the putt found the left edge of the cup and dropped.

“That just kept the momentum of the round going, that was a big putt,” Woods admitted.

“Then from there I made a couple more birdies, which was nice.”

Three straight birdies followed and with three holes to play that ground-breaking 62 was on the cards.

He failed with a 15ft birdie attempt at 16 but it was 18 where history looked like being made as his 18ft effort appeared set to drop into the cup before jumping out. An exasperated Woods dropped his putter to the green in disgust.

“I hit a good putt and I thought I made it,” Woods said. “It would have been nice to have gotten a record and a three-shot lead going into the weekend. I hit a good put, that’s the important part. It just didn’t go in.”

His closing tap-in capped a round that included eight birdies and a bogey. It was the 10th time in US PGA Championship history a player shot 63.

Scott Verplank had held the clubhouse lead for a long time after a bogey-free 66 lifted him to four under.

“Obviously I played very well. I got in position where I could actually make a couple of putts,” said the Oklahoma resident and local favourite.

Canadian Stephen Ames had the lead briefly at four under after consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th but closed with a bogey on 18 to tie for third at three-under after a 69.

“I’m hitting the ball nicely and getting it up and down when I need to, which is obviously the key to having a good score,” Ames said.

Australian Geoff Ogilvy was as low as five-under and tied for the lead with Woods late in his round but the 2006 US Open champion closed with a pair of bogeys to drop to three-under.

Open champion Padraig Harrington dropped to 19th after a three-over 73.

He started his round with a birdie at 10 but followed it up with consecutive bogeys to drop to level-par.

Harrington bogeyed 17 and 18 and closed his round with a bogey at nine with his only other birdie coming at the par three sixth.

“I had a disappointing bogey at the last. I would like to have been one or two better,” Harrington said.

“I’m not too bad, but I need to play better golf on the weekend.”

The 1991 US PGA champion John Daly, who turned back the clock with a 67 in the first round, bogeyed his first two holes but held on well for 73 and a share of ninth place at level-par.

Unfortunately for Storm, the former Walker Cup player could not do the same.

“I didn’t get the run of the ball that I did yesterday,” he said.

“I am still in contention but disappointed. I didn’t play that badly but I was punished when I made a mistake.”

After playing in one of the final groups on Thursday, Storm was first out the next day and he spent much of the time in between worried about missing his tee time.

“I didn’t get much sleep,” said Storm.