Flagsticks fight back, but Tiger still standing

TIGER AT THE HALF

Where Tiger Woods stood after two rounds at the Masters in his four victories. He has shot 70-XX in his first two rounds this week:

Year; Rds 1-2; Result; Runner-up;

2005; 74-66; Won in playoff; Chris DiMarco;

2002; 70-69; Won by 3; Retief Goosen;

2001; 70-66; Won by 2; David Duval;

1997; 70-66; Won by 12; Tom Kite;

They say don’t attack the pins at Augusta National. Who knew that was because they fight back?

Tiger Woods found that out the hard way on No. 15 on Friday. Woods was tied for the lead at 5 under when he had to hit a lay-up from the pine straw on the treacherous par-5 hole. Woods’ pitch to the green was dead on — so much so that his ball hit the flag stick on the fly and clanged backward into the fronting pond.

Woods took a perfectly polished card to the 15 tee box, not a bogey in sight. And he made sure this little happenstance wouldn’t get it too dirty.

He took a drop well back from the pond — from an angle that might ensure no more collisions — and hit his fifth shot to about three feet. He made the putt for his first bogey of the day.

Afterward, Woods treated the bad break with a shrug. He bogeyed once more on the way to the clubhouse, but was more focused on his position heading into the final two rounds than the day’s score. He sits in a tie for seventh, three strokes behind leader Jason Day.

“Yeah, it was a nice little soft 60 in there, a little cutter,” Woods said of the shot. “Wind was coming off the right, and I just tried to hold it in there. And I did. The sun was in my eyes, so I knew I started the ball on the flag. I didn’t know if I cut it enough, but evidently it was a really good one.”

And therein lies the optimism for Woods. He may have gotten a tough break here and there and didn’t light it up as his fans have become accustomed to seeing, but he was enticingly close.

In fact, that approach shot on 15 was not his only pin-seeker of the day. He was so accurate with his irons Friday he might have been fortunate not to have drawn more iron.

Woods had approach shots fly directly over flags on Nos. 12, 14 and 18. He also was dead on the flag on 16, but came up short.

“My ball striking was so good today,” Woods said. “Even my misses were on top of flags. I really swung the club well and didn’t really get a lot out of this round.”