AP, THOUSAND OAKS, California
Tiger Woods continued to show midseason form at the end of the year with a 10-under 62 on Friday, setting the course record at Sherwood Country Club and building a four-shot lead over Jim Furyk in the Target World Challenge.
Playing for the first time in 10 weeks, Woods looked as sharp as ever. He stretched his lead with a couple of long putts, one of them for eagle on the par-five 11th, and finished his record round with an 9-iron into six feet on the final hole that brought the fans to their feet.
PHOTO: AP
"He's not a very friendly host to shoot 10-under," said Henrik Stenson, who played with Woods and was 10 shots worse.
Woods was at 13-under 131 as he tries to win this tournament for the fourth time. The previous record of 63 was held by three players, most recently Michael Campbell in 2005.
Furyk, coming off a seven-week break, birdied the last two holes for a 67 and will be paired with his Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup partner in the third round.
US Masters champion Zach Johnson birdied the last three holes for a 67 and was another shot behind.
Never mind that the Target World Challenge is a boondoggle for the 16-man field, with a US$5.75 million purse that is larger than some US PGA Tour events. Woods treated this like he might even get some FedEx Cup points.
"I still expect a lot from myself on each and every shot," he said. "As far as added pressure, it doesn't change. Whether it's this event or all the way up to a major championship, it's still the game. I want to get a `W.' That's why I enter the tournament."
Scores were generally low on a calm, mild afternoon in the foothills just east of the Pacific Ocean. What made Furyk take notice of Woods' round was that it was five shots better than anyone else.
"Hell of a host," Furyk said, grinning.
■ SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN
AP, PAARL, SOUTH AFRICA
James Kingston shot a three-under 69 on Friday to lead at the halfway stage of the South African Open.
Kingston's overall two-under 142 kept him one stroke clear of fellow South African Andrew McLardy and Welshman Kyron Sullivan, who each shot 71 on the 7,394-yard Pearl Valley Golf Estates course.
Players faced strong winds for the second straight day, while Kingston also had a strained neck.
"The ball was oscillating on the greens and you spend so much energy trying to stand still that it's tough to make a decent stroke, especially on the putts that require a deft touch," Kingston said.
Former top-ranked Greg Norman moved into contention on one-over and joint sixth with a second round 70, while Ernie Els fought his way back with a 70 -- after his opening 77 -- for an overall three-over, five shots off the pace.
Norman, who got an eagle on the par-five 13th, was surprised by his form.
"Two weeks ago I played a father-son tournament on the Champions Tour and I started practicing two weeks before that," Norman said. "Prior to that, if I'd played eight to 10 rounds of golf since March I'd be surprised."
Els also found some inspiration after starting his round with consecutive bogeys.
"A nightmare start, but I stuck with it and tried to make the best out of the day," Els said. "But after that start, I could easily have walked off the course with a bad back."
The difficulty of putting in the gusting conditions bothered Kingston on the first two holes. He missed a five-footer for birdie at the first and then three-putted the second from 18 feet for a bogey.
But he eagled the par-five third before getting pars all the way to the 13th. Then he birdied 14 and 16.
Dutchman Joost Luiten shot a five-under 67 with six birdies and a bogey for the best round of the day, after scoring 82 on Thursday.
■ DUBAI LADIES MASTERS
AP,DUBAI,UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Lisa Hall shot a three-under 69 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters.
Hall is at eight-under 136 after two rounds, leading fellow Englishwoman Laura Davies, who shot a 70 on Friday. Overnight leader Louise Stahle only managed a 74, slipping to joint third place at 138.
Former world No. 1 and defending champion Annika Sorenstam stayed in touch with the leaders with her second successive 70, but Natalie Gulbis (75) made an early exit, missing the cut of six-over 150.
For the 40-year-old Hall, her strong play continues a resurgence this season after struggling for several years. Hall joined the Ladies European Tour in 1991 and was the LPGA Tour's rookie of the year in 1997, when she finished in the top 10 in three of the four Majors.
Her results got worse after that, however, and she took a year off from tournament golf in 2005, before returning to finish third at the Ladies Swiss Open last year.
This year, Hall won the Northern Ireland Ladies Open after an eight-hole playoff for her first win in 11 years. She later won again at the Nykredit Masters.
"The turnaround in form is down to a lot of things, too many to list," Hall said. "A good caddy, good fortune, good work, a lot of effort, perseverance, enjoyment, perspective, a lot of things go into playing good golf and I'm glad that I've learnt that and I am able to play the golf I'm playing now. It's been a long journey."
Davies was at one-over after the front nine, but the veteran closed the round with three straight birdies.
"It was a bit slow on the golf course, which threw us off a bit," Davies said. "But it was nice to finish the way I finished after a shaky start."
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