Woods ties record and takes 2-shot lead

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) Tiger Woods didn't like the way he warmed up on the range. What he produced on the golf course Friday left him with no complaints.

Woods had a birdie putt on every hole and made 10 of them for a 10-under 62, tying his course record at Sherwood Country Club and giving the tournament host a two-shot lead over Zach Johnson going into the weekend at the World Challenge.

"It was good today," Woods said with a broad smile, perhaps because there was little else to say.

"It was a clinic," said Graeme McDowell, the defending champion who played alongside Woods in the second round and had a 67.

Woods was at 11-under 133 and will be paired in the last group Saturday with Johnson, who missed a few good birdie chances on the back nine but still managed a 68. Johnson is a two-time runner-up at the World Challenge, both times to Woods.

Matt Kuchar had a 68 and was three shots behind, and no one else was closer than five shots. What could challenge Woods, along with everyone else, is a forecast of rain and then wind for the final two days.

Woods didn't feel good about his swing until a tee shot to 15 feet on the par-3 third hole, and while he had to settle for par, he at least liked the way the ball left his club.

"It was the first swing I think I made, even during warm-up, that felt really good," Woods said. "And I tried to keep that feeling the rest of the day, and I did. I hit a lot of good shots after that."

It was the 10th time Woods has shot 62 or lower in a tournament. He went on to win six of those events. The exceptions were the 1999 Byron Nelson Classic (61 in the first round), the 2005 Buick Open (61 in the second round) and the 2012 Honda Classic (62 in the final round).

This is his final event of the year, though Woods has been around long enough to keep it in perspective.

"Two more rounds," he said.

No one is ready to concede this tournament to Woods, except for those at the far end of this 18-man field. Hunter Mahan had an 80, Dustin Johnson had a 79 and Rory McIlroy, coming off a win at the Australian Open, had a 77.

"Amazing what Tiger did out there. It's just some incredible golf," Kuchar said. "I kind of felt sorry for Graeme McDowell. I saw he posted a 5-under-par round, and it must have felt like it was 2 or 3 over. It's tough when you're paired with a guy like that. It makes you feel like you're not doing much. But the rest of us just go about our business."

Even after watching what he felt like was an exhibition - Woods' golf, not the tournament - McDowell figured he could still defend his title if he could nail down the speed of the greens, which are running on the fast side.

That's what set Woods apart on another chilly day at Sherwood. Not only did he make the putts, he rarely was in a position where he had to stress over par. The lone exception came on the par-3 12th, when Woods was in such a precarious spot above the hole that he had no intention of trying to make birdie. He would have had to start the ball high on a ridge to get it to roll near the hole, and that would mean more speed going by. So he aimed for the low side and made the 10-foot par putt coming back.

"I don't think I've seen them quite this fast unless we get Santa Ana's blowing when it's dry," Woods said. "I mean, this is the last tournament of the year for a lot of us. I'd think they'd make it a little easier on us. But they gave it to us pretty good the last couple days. You miss the ball in the wrong spots, you're making bogeys."

Woods never went more than two holes without a birdie. One of the few times he was above the hole, Woods hit his putt on a perfect line with the right pace and dipped his knees when it dropped in the right side of the cup.

Even as he dropped further behind, McDowell couldn't help but appreciate a flawless round of golf.

"I enjoyed that," he said. "It was cool to see that kind of golf. He was under control. He hit it down the middle of every fairway. He didn't have that kind of violence with his speed through the ball."

Woods said he was similar to the 61 he shot this summer at Firestone, where he went on to win by seven shots.

"I think Firestone is obviously a much more difficult golf course than Sherwood," Woods said. "But as far as quality ball-striking, I hit it equally as good today, if not even better."

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Tiger Woods fires record 62 at Sherwood Country Club

TIGER Woods matched his own Sherwood Country Club course record on Friday with a 10-under 62 to take the lead in his World Challenge.

The world No.1, who started the day four shots off the lead, had 10 birdies and no bogeys for an 11-under total.

That gave him a two-shot lead over first-round leader Zach Johnson, who had four birdies in a four-under 68.

"It was good today," said Woods, who has won this 18-man tournament he hosts for the benefit of his charitable foundation five times. He set the course record of 62 in the second round in 2007, en route to one of those triumphs.

"I only made probably two putts that were downhill. I hit a lot of good shots, leaving myself in these spots so my putts weren't really that difficult to make."

Oddly enough, Woods wasn't feeling that great as he warmed up for a round that was delayed for an hour by morning frost.

"I did not warm up well," he said. "I was not hitting it very good on the range."

He opened with back-to-back birdies at the first and second, leaving himself a putt of less than two feet at the first.

But it wasn't until the third hole, he said, that he felt his swing click.

"I tried to keep that feeling the rest of the day, and I did," he said.

"I hit a lot of good shots after that."

Woods' score was one shot off the best of his career. He has shot 61 four times, most recently in the second round of the WGC Bridgestone at Firestone in August - where he went on to win by seven strokes.

"This is similar to what I did at Firestone this year," he said.

"I think Firestone is a much more difficult golf course than Sherwood, but as far as quality ball-striking, I hit it equally as good today if not better."

American Matt Kuchar carded a 68 to stand alone in third place heading into a weekend that could see rain move across the rolling countryside course, 64km west of Los Angeles.

"The next couple days, if the weatherman actually does get it right, we are going to have a hell of a test," Woods said.

Former world No.1 Rory McIlroy, who captured his first win of 2013 just last week at the Australian Open, endured another tough day.

He carded a five-over 77 that included a double-bogey six at the par-four fourth and a quadruple-bogey nine at the par-five 16th.

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Mandela Championship to continue

The European Tour has announced that next week's Nelson Mandela Championship will go ahead, but will start a day earlier to avoid a clash with Mandela's state funeral on December 15.

In recognition of the national period of mourning for the passing of the former South African president, the tournament will start on Wednesday, December 11 and finish on Saturday, December 14.

As with the inaugural event last year, won by Scotland's Scott Jamieson, the tournament will honour Mr Mandela's ongoing charity work through the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

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Nedbank Golf Challenge: Jamie Donaldson leads by three in Sun City

Wales' Jamie Donaldson moved into a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, despite a penalty for hitting the ball twice at the 10th.

Donaldson completed a first round of 67 on Friday morning, play resuming at 7:30am after being abandoned for the day on Thursday afternoon after a second thunderstorm hit the course.

That left the 38-year-old one shot behind Spain's Sergio Garcia, but a second round of 66 containing seven birdies and just one bogey took Donaldson to the top of the leaderboard.

The solitary dropped shot came on the par-five 10th after a front nine of 31, Donaldson finding a fairway bunker off the tee and hitting the lip of the bunker with his second shot.

Unluckily, the ball bounced back and hit the shaft of Donaldson's club as he followed through, sending the ball back into the sand and resulting in a one-shot penalty.

However, after hitting his fourth shot down the fairway, Donaldson fired a superb approach from 150 yards to within a few feet of the pin to limit the damage, before picking up further shots on the 13th and 14th.

Bizarre

"These bizarre things happen and you just have to get on with it," said Donaldson, who won his second European Tour title in Abu Dhabi in January. "In the end it was a good six!

"I've played very nicely for the first two rounds and hit a lot of good shots so I am happy with the way I am playing. We had to play six holes of the first round and then back out after a 45-minute break for the second, so it's been a long day."

European No 1 Henrik Stenson and American Ryan Moore share second place on eight under, Moore shooting the lowest round of the day with a 65 and Stenson returning a 67, with neither player dropping a shot.

Defending champion Martin Kaymer and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn are a shot further back, with Garcia dropping back to five under after struggling to a 73.

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Lewis two clear of rivals after three rounds of Dubai Ladies Open

Stacy Lewis takes a two-shot lead into the final round of the Omega Dubai Ladies Open at The Emirates Golf Club on Saturday. 

The American, who led by one going into the third day, posted three birdies and a bogey on her way to a two-under-par 70. 

Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum, who trailed the Solheim Cup star by three overnight, signed for a 69 to claim sole possession of second place, three shots clear of Scotland's Vikki Laing and Diana Luna of Italy, who both matched Phatlum's score, and Spaniard Carlota Ciganda (73). 

Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg, one behind Lewis at the start of the day, posted a 75 to drop back into a share of fifth spot alongside compatriot Louis Larsson (68), with veteran Laura Davies (71) a further stroke adrift. 

England's Charley Hull (73) was forced to settle for a share of 11th place after a double bogey at nine, and a dropped shot at 12, cancelled out birdies at two of her opening five holes. 

Meanwhile, South African Connie Chen ensured she would be leaving the Emirates with the keys to a gleaming new Mercedes E400 after sinking her six-iron tee-shot at the 160-yard 15th hole.

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Nelson Mandela Championship to start a day earlier than scheduled

Next week's Nelson Mandela Championship will go ahead, but will start a day earlier than scheduled, the European Tour have confirmed.

The Durban tournament will now start on Wednesday, December 11 to avoid the final round clashing with Mandela's state funeral on Sunday week.

Scott Jamieson won the inaugural event at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club last year, and the tournament will again benefit the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

A statement released by the European Tour read: "The Nelson Mandela Championship will go ahead next week as planned, but will start a day earlier and finish on Saturday, December 14.

"In recognition of the national period of mourning for the passing of former President Mr Nelson Mandela, provision will be made for observing the day of the state funeral for Mr Mandela which will take place on Sunday, December 15.

"This is during the originally scheduled playing days (from Thursday, December 12 - Sunday, December 15), so the tournament will start a day early, and in that way, the four rounds can be completed by the scheduled close of the event.

"The tournament with its unique trophy will again be co-sanctioned by The European and Sunshine Tours and will be the fourth of seven co-sanctioned events between the two governing bodies on The 2014 Race to Dubai.

"As with the inaugural event last year, won by Scotland's Scott Jamieson, the tournament will honour Mr Mandela's on-going charity work through the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund."

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