SAN DIEGO (AP) - Tiger Woods made it look easy on a dreary day at Torrey Pines and wound up in a place he hasn’t been in five years.
He had the 36-hole lead by himself at one of his favorite PGA Tour stops.
Woods didn’t miss a shot during a four-hole stretch around the turn on the North Course that included a 5-iron to 5 feet for eagle and a wedge that one-hopped off the pin to set up birdie. It carried him to a 7-under 65 on Friday and gave him a two-shot lead in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Woods was at 11-under 133 and had a two-shot lead over Billy Horschel, with six other players two shots behind. Already a favorite with seven wins as a pro at Torrey Pines, Woods had even more in his favor going into the weekend. He had a 74-0 edge in PGA Tour wins against the next seven players behind him.
Horschel, who had to go back to Q-school to get his card last year, had a 69 on the South Course.
Woods caught a break in the draw by playing the easier North _ it’s about 600 yards shorter _ on a day of light rain, a late breeze and soft conditions.
Brad Fritsch, a rookie from Canada, had a 67 on the South Course to lead the group of six players at 8-under 136. The others were Casey Wittenberg, Steve Marino, Jimmy Walker, Josh Teater and Erik Compton.
Phil Mickelson struggled to keep his hands dry in the wet weather and finished bogey-bogey on the South for a 71 to make the cut on the number, though his work isn’t over. There were 87 players who made the cut at 1-under 143, meaning there will be another cut to top 70 and ties Saturday.
QATAR MASTERS
DOHA, Qatar (AP) _ England’s Chris Wood shot an 8-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead over New Zealand’s Michael Campbell and two others after the third round of the Qatar Masters.
Wood had a 15-under 201 total. Campbell had a 68 to match England’s Simon Khan (64) and Sweden’s Alexander Noren (66) at 12 under. Spain’s Sergio Garcia (70) and South Africa’s Branden Grace (67) were 11 under.
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