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The way he got to within four shots of the lead is the way Woods tries to play all his majors. Hitting irons while others may pull out drivers, Woods is leading the field in fairways hit, even as he finds himself with longer shots into the green than most players. He's fourth in greens hit, and has made only two bogeys in two days.
And then there is this favorable stat: This was the eighth time Woods has opened with rounds in the 60s at a major in his career -- and he's won all seven previous ones.
At the age of 36, though, he needs to start closing the show instead of just putting on a show. His playing partner in the third round will be a young Dane who grew up idolizing Woods and, while Thorbjorn Olesen won't win this Open, his presence on the leaderboard is another sign that youth will eventually be served in golf, just as it is in other sports.
So far, Woods has been at his methodical best, following his game plan in the first two rounds even when Garcia was blowing drivers by him. He's kept the ball in play, shaped his shots with precision, and made his birdies when they presented themselves.
None of that will matter if he shoots another 75 in the third round as he did at Olympic Club last month. He's the one who has made the majors his measuring stick, and the record will show that he squandered yet another opportunity in a sport that offers only four of them a year.
His past history tells us never to count him out on a weekend.
His most recent history tells us not to start engraving his name on the claret jug just yet.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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