ATLANTA - For thousands of fans crammed into every corner of East Lake Golf Club, it looked as though Tiger Woods was closer than ever to capping off this remarkable comeback season by winning the final PGA Tour event.
Four straight one-putts on the back nine Friday in the Tour Championship - three for birdie, one for par - offset a double bogey and gave Woods a 2-under-par 68 and a share of a 36-hole lead for the first time in three years. It's the first time in five years he has he been atop the leaderboard after each of the first two rounds of a tournament.
Woods sees it differently.
He's the one coping with Bermuda rough deep enough to hide all but the top of a golf ball, with greens that are slick and firm and with a layout that is the most demanding test players have seen this side of a major.
"We have a long way to go," Woods said. "And this is not an easy golf course."
For so much of the second round, even as he struggled to keep the ball in play, Woods made it look that way.
He appeared to be building separation against the 30-man field with that four-hole stretch on the back nine he capped off with a 25-foot birdie putt on the peninsula green at the par-3 15th. Then a tee shot into the rough led to a plugged lie in a bunker and a shot he had to play away from the 16th green, leading to a double bogey.
A two-putt birdie on the final hole gave him a share of the lead with Justin Rose (67) at 7-under 133.
Rose, in his debut tournament as No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking, played in front of Woods and could hear all about it with an enormous gallery. He birdied three of his last six holes to offset a bogey.
"Playing with him versus playing in front of him today, I think it was just big crowds no matter what," Rose said. "Obviously, people are excited about watching Tiger play again. It's exciting for people to get a look at him back at his best, and it will be fun to be play with him."
Rory McIlroy made enough birdies to offset his mistakes in a round of 68 and was two shots behind, with Patrick Cantlay (65), Billy Horschel (65), Jon Rahm (68) and Justin Thomas (69) another shot back in fourth.
Woods had most recently shared a 36-hole lead at the Wyndham Championship in 2015. He wound up in a tie for 10th, then was gone from the PGA Tour for the next 17 months while he recovered from two back surgeries. One more back surgery followed that brief return in 2017, and it's been a slow road back.
In the FedEx Cup finale, however, Woods is picking up momentum, thanks to precision and patience.
"This course, the way it's playing right now, you've got to be so patient," Woods said. "It's hard to make birdies, and on top of that, it's hard to get the ball close. It's very easy to make mistakes, make a few bogeys here and there. And look at most of the field. That's basically what they're doing."
First-round co-leader Rickie Fowler (72) was tied for eighth with Kyle Stanley (68) at 3 under.
Fisher shoots 59
VILAMOURA, Portugal - After 46 years, the European Tour finally has its first round of 59.
English golfer Oliver Fisher was sprayed with champagne beside the 18th green at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course after two-putting for par from 40 feet to complete a 12-under round that included an eagle and 10 birdies at the Portugal Masters.
It was the first sub-60 round on the European Tour. There have officially been 10 on the PGA Tour, with one of them a 58 by Jim Furyk in at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
"I obviously knew I was in with a shout of shooting a low one when I made a good start," said Fisher, who reached the turn in 28 strokes after five birdies and an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole.
"It was important to keep reminding myself that I was out there to have some fun, enjoy it, and not get too tentative. When you've got a good round going, it's easy to do that."
He shared the 36-hole lead at 12-under 130 with Australia's Lucas Herbert (67) and England's Eddie Pepperell (66). England's Matt Wallace (67) was another stroke back.
Glover in position
ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. - Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover shot his second consecutive 7-under 64 to take a one-shot lead at the Web.com Tour Championship.
Glover, 38, who won the 2009 U.S. Open at the Bethpage Black Course, needs a high finish this weekend at Atlantic Beach Country Club to ensure he will keep his PGA Tour card for the upcoming 2018-19 season. The most recent of his three PGA Tour victories came in 2011.
Glover earned $17,212 in the first three Web.com Tour Finals events. The top 25 money winners in the four-tournament series earn PGA Tour cards, and the final card went for $40,625 last year.
Glover, however, does not face as much pressure as many of his fellow competitors. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in June and will have eight starts on a medical exemption to earn 53 FedEx Cup points and keep his card.
Glover was at 14-under 128. Denny McCarthy (65), who has already earned enough money to secure a return to the PGA Tour, was one shot back. Tour veteran Cameron Tringale (67), who has earned just $2,660 after missing two of the first three cuts in the Web.com Tour Finals, was third at 12 under.
Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger (65) was tied for 11th at 9 under.
Athens, Tennessee, native Eric Axley (74) missed the 5-under cut by six strokes.
Stricker shares lead
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Steve Stricker shot a 7-under 63 and shared the first-round lead at the Sanford International for his latest strong start on the PGA Tour Champions.
The 51-year-old Stricker was 8 under through 17 holes at Minnehaha Country Club but closed with a bogey to fall into a tie with Brandt Jobe, David McKenzie and Jerry Smith.
Stricker has two wins and has not finished worse than fifth in six starts this season on the 50-and-older tour as he continues to play a part-time schedule on the PGA Tour.
Paul Goydos, Lee Janzen and Scott McCarron were one shot back.