A resurgent Tiger Woods followed up his best round in two years with a five-under 65 to take a share of the halfway lead at the Wyndham Championship.
The 14-time Major winner, who slumped to a career low last weekend when missing the cut at the US PGA Championship, roared back to form with a sparkling first-round 64 in Greensboro, North Carolina on Thursday.
And he duly returned to the course to vault into a share of the lead with Tom Hoge after mixing an eagle and five birdies with two bogeys to reach 11-under.
“I’m only at the halfway point,” Woods told pgatour.com. “Only 36 holes. We’ve still got a long way to go.
“I just couldn’t get anything out of my rounds (before Wyndham) and a couple lucky bounces here… take advantage of those opportunities – it’s just the flow.”
Statesville-born rookie Hoge, who signed for 67 after his first-round 62, found five birdies and two bogeys and will spend Saturday playing alongside Woods.
But the older man has admitted he would not have recognised Hoge to see him, saying: “No, I wouldn’t. What is it, or him?”
“I look on the Champions Tour leaderboard and I know every one of those guys because I played against them and I played with them. Now I come out here, I don’t really know a lot of people.”
Tied for third place are Chad Campbell and Davis Love III, who shot 65 and 66 respectively, while Brandt Snedeker matched the tournament record with a 61 and, with five other players, sits two strokes behind the leading duo.
England’s Paul Casey shot 66 for the second successive day to move into a five-way tie for 11th place.
Scotland’s Martin Laird finished on four-under for the day and six under in total after a 66 which included seven birdies and three bogeys, while Australia’s Adam Scott scored 69 to sit on four-under.