Tiger roars
Tiger Woods throws down Masters gauntlet as he chases five major champions after security guard trip at Augusta
Four-time Masters winner sits one behind leaders Molinari, Day, Koepka, Scott and Oosthuizen after action-packed day
A SCARY collision with a security guard seemed to jolt new life into Tiger Woods' Masters challenge, after an unwelcome weather delay looked like wrecking his second round momentum.
Woods’ highly-charged assault on Amen Corner seemed to push things over the edge at Augusta, as a long-threatened thunderstorm finally crackled into life.
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That forced a 30-minute delay at the worst possible time for the former world No 1 - and the stoppage could even have caused him a serious injury.
Shortly after the players returned to the course Woods had to play a recovery shot from deep in the trees, and an over-zealous security guard rushed across to prevent the spectators following him onto the 14th fairway.
The guard slipped and crashed into Tiger, almost taking him out. The former world No 1 limped a couple of times, but seemed to recover quickly – and proved it by pouring in a 20ft putt for birdie!
And he reinforced the point a few minutes later by draining a 30ft putt for another birdie at the long 15th, hoisting him to within a shot of the lead at six under par, where he finished, a stroke behind leaders Francesco Molinari, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen.
All of those players have won a major.
Woods, 43, needed that pick-me-up, as he appeared to have been badly affected by the weather delay.
He had just picked up a priceless birdie at the 505 yards 11th, the toughest par four on the course, to get to within three shots of the lead.
WOODS ON CHARGE
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He then hit a beauty at the par three 12th just as the siren sounded for the Masters players to clear the course because of the threat of lightning.
They actually had the option to finish the hole they were on – and Woods toyed with the possibility of stroking home his five footer for birdie, before deciding to mark the ball instead.
He must have wished he had gone for it instead, because when the players returned he lipped out with his birdie effort, and a golden chance had gone begging.
And he was probably cursing the weather again as his birdie putt from 12 feet pulled up an inch short – it would probably have taken the extra toll needed to topple in if the greens had not suffered a good soaking.
But that improbable birdie-birdie run on 14 and 15 soon put the smile back on his face.
And he said after his round: "It felt good to get back and make some birdies. I kept hitting good shots all day.
"I had two bad putts all day - on eight when I made bogey - other than that I hit all my lines. I can't be disappointed."
Rory McIlroy must have wished someone could have snapped him out of his mediocre run.
MCILROY'S SLUMP
He was heading in the right direction when he played the front nine in two under par to move to one under for the tournament.
But he gave those shots back with careless bogeys at the 11th and 13th holes, and his Grand Slam bid is surely doomed - especially after he hit it into a golf cart on the 15th before finishing round two on level par.
The long-suffering American supporters needed Woods' heroics to cheer them up, after joint leader Molinari had continued to torment their golfing superstars.
Molinari led last year’s seven point Ryder Cup drubbing in Paris with a record-breaking five points haul, and then kicked off a run of four successive European victories on the PGA Tour last month with his win at Bay Hill.
And surprise, surprise, Ian Poulter - the scourge of American Ryder Cup hopes throughout the years – is also up there ready to dish it out the Yanks once again.
Poulter added a one under par 71 to his opening 68, and at five under a first Major championship at the age of 43 is a real possibility. But he feels he should have had at least a share of the early lead.
Poulter’s playing partner, Zach Johnson, became an internet sensation after hitting his ball with a practice swing, toe-ending it onto the tee markers.
It finished four feet away, but he was allowed to replace his ball without a penalty - and ended up making a birdie!
Molinari has already got over the Major hurdle with his two shot victory at last year’s Open, where he produced a turbo-charged finish after playing partner Woods had briefly hit the front.
He was at it again at Augusta, breezing alongside joint first round leader Brooks Koepka - and past Bryson Dechambeau – with an effortless-looking five under par 67.
That took him to seven under, and set the halfway target for all the later starters to chase.
Aussie duo Day and Scott took up the challenge and joined Molinari on seven under, along with Oosthuizen of South Africa and Koepka, who completed a roller-coaster 71 with a birdie at the last.
McIlroy – who also contributed to that unprecedented run of European victories, along with Paul Casey and Graeme McDowell – describes Molinari as a “robot”, because he never seems to miss a shot.
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The Italian deadshot backed him up by playing the final 37 holes at Carnoustie without carding a single bogey to lift the Claret Jug.
Molinari, 36, has made just one bogey in the opening two rounds at Augusta. So if anyone wants to deny him a green jacket, they had better come and take it – because he is certainly not going to give it to them.
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