TIGER WOODS SCRAPES IN
World No.1 still has a mountain to climb
TIGER WOODS avoided the embarrassment of missing the cut - but he still has a mountain to climb if he is to grab US Open glory.
The American world No 1 fired a second-round 69 here in New York, leaving him 11 shots behind surprise halfway leader Ricky Barnes, who was eight under par.
Play has been now delayed because of overnight rain that saturated Bethpage Black The tournement is expected to get underway today (Sun) at 4pm British time.
Former US amateur champion Barnes has failed to make a top-10 finish in 12 PGA Tour starts this year, while world No 1 Woods has not finished outside of the top 10 since making his comeback from his injury back in February.
But his third win of the season - and a successful defence of the US Open title he won at Torrey Pines last year before undergoing surgery - looks beyond even his unique powers.
Woods, who almost missed the cut for only the second time at the US Open during his professional career, moaned: "It was a little wet again and the course is playing tough.
"Conditions are the same for everybody - but over the first two rounds we got the worst of them, for sure."
With play washed out early on Thursday the tournament was a whole round behind schedule and world No 3 Paul Casey struggled to cope, missing the cut on 10 over par (two 75s). But Ross Fisher, beaten by Casey by one shot at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last month, shot a superb 68 to lie just six shots behind Barnes.
The Englishman said: "I came here with the firm belief that I can win the tournament and I feel ready to win a Major.
"I have won twice on the European Tour and I should have won a number of times more because I have been in the right position before failing down the stretch.
"I played solid golf today and my score could have been even better."
Graeme McDowell, from Northern Ireland, followed up his first-round 69 with a 72 for a one-over-par total, one ahead of Rory McIlroy - who shot a 70.
Mansfield's Oliver Wilson was on level par after carding successive rounds of 70.
World No 2 Phil Mickelson - very much the fans' favourite here as he bids for glory to boost the spirits of his cancer-hit wife - stayed on one under after carding a 70.
And former Open champion David Duval, whose game has been in meltdown since his success at Royal Lytham back in 2001, also shot 70 to stay three under.
American Duval said: "At one point I was probably another really bad year away from quitting as a professional."
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