If Thursday’s first round was a tasty starter, Tiger Woods served up an equally succulent main course at Mount Juliet in round two, a second consecutive 65 extending his lead at the halfway stage of the World Golf Championships – American Express Championship.
Once again Woods was flawless, another haul of seven birdies helping the World Number One to a 14 under par total of 130 and the lead by two shots from his fellow countryman Jerry Kelly with another two Americans, Steve Lowery and David Toms, sharing third on 11 under par 133.
Two consecutive 67s gave the 2001 Volvo Order of Merit winner Retief Goosen fifth place on his own and the honour of being the leading European Tour challenger in the field but, once again, the main focus of the day centred on Woods.
In the lead by a shot overnight and aiming for his sixth World Golf Championship title overall, Woods showed he meant business with three birdies in four holes from the fifth to reach the turn in 33.
Further birdies followed at the tenth, 12th, 14th and 17th on the way home to see the World Number One stretch clear of the field, the only player to keep him remotely in his sights was Kelly, who matched Woods’s 65.
“I definitely drove the ball a little better today and I felt very comfortable over my tee shots,” said Woods. “Elsewhere I hit my irons pretty much like yesterday and putted pretty much like yesterday so all in all I’m very pleased with the way it is going.”
Once more Woods endeared himself to the home crowds by praising the set-up at Mount Juliet and in particular the immaculate condition of the greens. “We don’t play on greens like this very often, they are perfect,” he said.
“It is is the reason so many people are shooting so well. Even over 20 or 30 footers you are confident and from about ten feet in, if you hit it on the right line, you are pretty sure it is going to drop.”
Second placed Kelly, a double winner on the US PGA Tour this year, could not quite match Woods’s flawless effort, but his eight birdies elsewhere, more than made up for that, including three in a row from the 15th.
Kelly, like Woods, also undertook a charm offensive with the Irish public, 22,200 of whom streamed through the gates on the second day, citing his Irish heritage as a good reason why the galleries should back him as he goes head-to-head with Woods in round three.
“I’m not 100 per cent Irish but I come from a Kelly clan in County Cork originally,” he said. “I haven’t traced it back completely yet and nobody has claimed me yet, but I don’t think there is any bad blood in me!”
One shot further behind on 11 under par, 2001 US PGA Champion David Toms and Steve Lowery both carded identical 67s to follow their opening 66s.
Highlight of Toms’s round was an eagle three at the 552 yard fifth while Lowery, who partnered Woods and who shared the lead with him in the early part of the day, saved the best for last with a birdie at the 17th and a curling 15 footer to save par on the last.
Another player who battled hard to maintain his prominent position on the leaderboard was Retief Goosen who admitted he had not played quite as well as in the opening round, but who succeeded in grinding out his second consecutive 67.
“It was probably not as good as yesterday, but I holed a few good par saving putts and just hung in there,” said the 2001 US Open Champion. “I didn’t hit it as close as I would have wanted to today but five under is still pretty good.”
One shot behind Goosen, The European Tour challenge was maintained by Ernie Els and Gary Evans who carded 67 and 68 respectively for a nine under par total of 135 to move alongside Australian Stuart Appleby in a share of sixth place.
