Tiger's on the Prowl (Again)

A mere eight weeks after knee surgery, Tiger Woods shook off the first round rust where he ended seven shots behind the leader, Rocco Mediate, on Thursday at the PGA Tour US Open. On Friday afternoon at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods showed why he is "Tiger Woods," by capping the back nine with five birdies. He ended the day with a 68 and is now only one stroke behind the leader, Stuart Appleby.

Read the New York Times article on round two here.

Read the ESPN.com account of round two here.


plez sez: i started playing golf the same year that Tiger Woods won his first Masters. i'm not very good at the sport, but i do enjoy watching it... whenever Tiger Woods is playing. his high level of expertise and confidence is awesome, and his ability to win is unparalleled in the world of sports.

to my way of thinking, he's not only the greatest golfer who's ever lived, he's easily the greatest athlete who's ever lived (sorry Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan)!

I look for round three to be Separation Saturday, where Tiger - and possibly Appleby - pull away from the field with an insurmountable four or five stroke lead. Those two will duel it out on Sunday afternoon with Tiger Woods hoisting yet another trophy from a major. And just think, Woods hasn't played in a tournament since the Masters!

Phil Mickelson grew up in San Diego and Torrey Pines is considered his home course. He was paired with Tiger Woods on Thursday and Friday. As if on cue, Mickelson faded on Friday, ending with six bogeys in his round of 75. He is seven strokes off of the lead. As he ages through his prime golf playing years, it is looking more like Mickelson will end up being a sad footnote in the career of Tiger Woods.