[June 28, 2014](Reuters) - Australian Oliver Goss
surged into a four-way tie for the lead as Tiger Woods missed the cut
after the second round of the Quicken Loans National in Maryland on
Friday.
Competing in only his second PGA Tour event as a professional,
the 20-year-old scrambled superbly as he piled up five birdies to
card a flawless five-under-par 66 on a difficult Congressional
Country Club layout bristling with thick rough.
Goss was runner-up at last year's U.S. Amateur Championship, before
finishing low amateur at this year's Masters.
He missed the cut at last week's Travelers Championship in his pro
debut, but brought much better form to storied Congressional in
leafy Bethesda just outside Washington DC.
Goss posted a six-under total of 136 to end the round level with
fellow Australian Marc Leishman (66) and Americans Patrick Reed (68)
and Ricky Barnes (69).
Goss hit only four of 14 fairways on Friday but used his recovery
skills to the full as he reached 14 of 18 greens in regulation.
"I don't think I hit one fairway until the 11th ... but I scrambled
my way pretty good today," he told PGA Tour Radio.
"I was able to get it up and down (for par) every time I missed the
green.
"It's only my second week as a pro and being on the top of the
leaderboard, it just gives you a boost of confidence.
"I didn't really have too many expectations. After last week, I was
a little bit disappointed but I came here pretty fresh and
open-minded. And I'm on top of the leaderboard. I couldn't be more
pleased."
Reed, who has been quiet since winning the WGC Cadillac Championship
in Miami in March, finished strongly with three birdies in his final
five holes.
"Yesterday I hit a lot of fairways which allowed me to attack the
greens but today the tee shots weren't there so I was playing a lot
out of the rough (and) I had to make some smart decisions on key
holes," said Reed.
He made headlines after his WGC victory when he said he belonged
among the top five players in the world.
He said he was subsequently distracted, not by the reaction to his
comments, but by the May birth of his first child with wife Justine.
Several big names, including Woods, Jason Day and Jason Dufner,
missed the cut.
Woods, playing his first tournament since back surgery in March, was
predictably rusty, especially with his short game.
Over two rounds, he got up-and-down only three times out of 16
attempts when he missed a green.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles and Andrew Both in
Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Gene Cherry/Greg Stutchbury)
Competing in only his second PGA Tour event as a professional,
the 20-year-old scrambled superbly as he piled up five birdies to
card a flawless five-under-par 66 on a difficult Congressional
Country Club layout bristling with thick rough.
