Tiger and Rose lead in Atlanta
WORLD No.1 Justin Rose and Tiger Woods claimed a share of the halfway lead in the Tour Championship in pursuit of hugely significant victories in Atlanta.
Rose carded a second round of 67 at East Lake to finish seven under par, a total matched in the next group by 14-time Major winner Woods, who added a 68 to his opening 65.
A second win of the season for Rose would see the Englishman secure the overall Fedex Cup title and a bonus of £7.6million, while Woods is seeking a first victory since 2013 to put the seal on his remarkable comeback following spinal fusion surgery in April 2017.
Woods covered the front nine in level par despite finding just two fairways but birdies at the 12th, 14th and 15th briefly gave him a two-shot lead before a costly double bogey on the 16th, where he was forced to play out sideways from a fairway bunker after pulling his tee shot into thick rough.
The 42-year-old bounced back to birdie the par-five 18th and join Rose at the top of the leaderboard, with Rory Mcilroy two shots off the lead on five under and Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Billy Horschel a shot further back.
Mcilroy, who won the
Tour Championship and Fedex Cup title in 2016, was left to rue failing to take advantage of the par fives as he added a 68 to his opening 67.
“I’m making enough birdies but I didn’t birdie either of the par fives which is disappointing,” the fourtime Major winner said. “If I had been able to do that I might have been a little closer to the lead.”