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Woods equals course record to claim PGA lead

11/08/2007

Tiger Woods has taken the lead of the US PGA Championship after equalling the course record at Southern Hills, carding a second round of 63.

Woods began the day on one-over-par but finished on six-under after a magnificent round that defied the difficulty of the course and hot weather conditions.

The world number one was one stroke away from carding the lowest score in Major history, but his birdie putt on the 18th hole went narrowly wide to deny him the feat.

Woods signalled his intent with a birdie on the opening hole and followed that up with two further birdies at the fourth and fifth holes.

A dropped shot at the seventh did not deter him as he made two more birdies either side of the turn.

He hit a wayward tee-shot on the 12th hole but was able to sink a long putt to save par before going on a three-hole birdie streak that pushed him to the top of the leaderboard.

Overnight leader Graeme Storm could not repeat his heroics from the first round, dropping back to 15th place following a round of six-over-par.

Having dropped two strokes in the first three holes the Englishman briefly rallied with two birdies to put him back on five-under. But a double-bogey at the eighth and six further bogeys dented his chances of winning his first Major.

American Scott Verplank is currently second on four-under-par, two shots behind Woods. He carded a solid second round of 66 which included four birdies in a blemish-free day.

Geoff Ogilvy is a further shot back on three-under and was challenging Woods for the lead at one stage having picked up four birdies on the back nine. However, bogeys on the final two holes saw him drop back.

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