Woods Ties, Breaks Scoring Records

A K R O N, Ohio, Aug. 26 -- The major championships are done for the year.

Tiger Woods is not.

Just five days after winning his third consecutive major inrecord fashion, Woods once again found himself playing in adifferent tournament than everyone else, and certainly playing adifferent game.

He flirted with a 59 for the second day in a row. He became onlythe fourth man in competition to reach the 625-yard 16th in two.And he walked off Firestone Country Club by matching one record,breaking another, and not even knowing it.

Woods had a 9-under 61 to tie the course record set by JoseMaria Olazabal in 1990, and his 125 set a new standard on the PGATour for 36 holes.

What does it all mean?

“It’s taking a lot more under par to win the tournaments now,” said Phil Mickelson, who had a 66 and goes into the weekend tryingto make up a seven-shot deficit.

Large Lead, Big Hopes

Woods pumped his fist and smiled when his 6-foot par putt on the18th disappeared into the cup, as if he were aware there wererecords at stake.

Not true.

“I didn’t want to finish with a bogey for the second day in arow,” he said. “I’m just trying to hit good, solid shots. I justwant to get the ‘W.’”

That shouldn’t be too difficult.

The seven-stroke lead is the largest of his career, and thelargest on tour since Olazabal led by nine strokes at Firestone in1990 in what was then the World Series of Golf. His 125 broke therecord of 126 previously held by six players — it was first set byTommy Bolt in the 1954 Virginia Beach Open, and last matched byDavid Frost in the 1999 St. Jude Classic.

Only four other players have had a 125 in consecutive rounds,but not the first two.

“He’s been playing so well, it’s not like we’re in shock,” said Jim Furyk, who played with Woods on Friday — or at least walked in the same fairway as Woods.

Mickelson finished one stroke behind Woods in the NECInvitational last year. And while Woods appears invincible thisweek, Mickelson wasn’t about to declare the tournament over.