Woods More Amiable After Shooting 66

How to rescue a tournament: If you’re Tiger Woods, you put up a five-under-par 66 after opening with a 75.

Woods had eight birdies, three bogeys, shot 32 on the back nine Friday and made the cut in the British Open at Royal Lytham at one-under-par 141.

It was his lowest round in a professional tournament. And it came the day after he stormed in anger off the course without speaking to anyone.

“I didn’t even talk to my dad,” said Woods, who missed the cut last week at the Scottish Open.

“My swing just completely left me. I just couldn’t get it back at all.”

The other three amateurs in the field weren’t as fortunate. Warren Bladon of England, Sergio Garcia of Spain and Steve Allan of Australia missed the cut.

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It may have been the Big Three, but it certainly wasn’t the Tall Three.

Five-foot-nine Corey Pavin, 5-7 Gary Player and 5-4 Ian Woosnam played together the first two rounds.

Pavin was asked who was the tallest in the threesome.

“Well, I am, of course,” Pavin said. “I’ve got Woosie easy and Gary by a couple of inches.”

But Pavin said he has never been the tallest player in a threesome . . . . with one exception.

“When I play with my two sons,” Pavin said. “They are 3 years old and 10 years old.”

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Ian Baker-Finch shot an 84 and his 36-hole total 162 was 20 over par. He missed the cut by 19 shots. Baker-Finch, the 1991 British Open champion, hasn’t made a cut since 1994.

Seve Ballesteros, who won the British Open at Royal Lytham in 1979 and 1988, shot 77 to miss the cut. His best finish in 10 other tournaments on the PGA Tour and in Europe is a tie for 26th.

Ballesteros still was encouraged.

“With Jack Nicklaus doing so well at 56, it gives you hope,” Ballesteros said. “I’m only 39.”

None of the four U.S. players who came through qualifying made the cut--Justin Leonard, Tim Herron, Jay Townsend and Sean Murphy.

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David Graham resigned as captain of the International Team for the Presidents Cup after he was asked to step down by directors of the South African, Australasian Tour and team representatives.

Greg Norman was recently critical of Graham, indicating that the international players were not involved enough in the decision-making procedure.

According to a news release announcing Graham’s resignation, the players are supposed to have more input in choosing a replacement.

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John Daly hit a ball out of bounds on the par-four 15th and made double bogey. Daly, who finished with a 73, made the cut by one shot when he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

“The out-of-bounds ball hurt a lot, but it was a horrible round of golf,” he said.

Daly said he missed too many short putts, for some reason.

“I’m stroking the ball well enough to make putts. They’re just kind of bouncing all over the place,” he said.