Verplank Keeps the Hurt on Woods

Tiger Woods was plenty sore Friday, but not because of his back.

A three-putt bogey on the final hole spoiled an otherwise solid round in the Tour Championship at Houston and left Woods five strokes behind the 36-hole leader, Scott Verplank, who knows something about injuries himself.

Verplank, who went through three elbow injuries that nearly ended his career, had six birdies and a momentum-saving par save from the bunker on No. 16 to complete a six-under 65 in calm, sticky conditions at Champions Golf Club.

Verplank was at 132 and had a one-stroke lead over Bernhard Langer. Mike Weir of Canada, one of eight players in the elite field who hasn’t won this year, had a 66 and was another stroke back.

“The golf course was perfect,” Verplank said. “There was no wind. If you could get it going, you could hit it at the hole and make some putts.”

Woods, who hurt his lower right back in the fitness trailer on the eve of the tournament, was at least able to bend over to tee his ball--although he lifted his left leg, making it look like a curtsy--and hit whatever shot was required.

He was two strokes out of the lead until hitting it 40 feet past the flag on No. 18 and three-putting. He tossed his putter at the bag on his way off the green and was still steaming after signing for a 67.

“Just got a little sore toward the end,” Woods said in response to the condition of his back. “An ending like that ... just not feeling very good because I played well all day. To make a silly mistake at the end is not the way you want to cap off your round.”

Despite the bogey, Woods was at 137 and still in good shape to make a run at the season-ending title worth $900,000 to the winner.

Then again, so was about half the field.

Langer, playing the Tour Championship for the first time since it was created in 1987, had a 68 and was at 133.

Mark Calcavecchia, contemplating surgery because of a chronically sore foot, had the best score of the day (64) and was at 135 with Justin Leonard (66).

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Brandt Jobe, fighting to keep his PGA Tour card, shot a six-under 66 for a share of the second-round lead with Carl Paulson in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic at Madison, Miss.

Paulson also shot a 66 for an 11-under 133 total.

Jobe entered the tournament 126th on the money list, with the top 125 gaining full exemptions for 2002.

Dicky Pride (68), Heath Slocum (65), Andrew Magee (66), Fred Funk (69) and Chad Campbell (64) were a stroke back.

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Annika Sorenstam, coming off her seventh victory of the year, birdied the final two holes for a six-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead in the Mizuno Classic at Hanno, Japan.

The Swedish star beat South Korea’s Se Ri Pak last week in the World Ladies Match Play Championship in Narita to wrap up the money title and player of the year honors.

Colombia’s Marisa Baena also shot a 66 on the Musashigaoka course, and Japan’s Kayo Yamada and Akiko Fukushima and South Korea’s Woo-Soon Ko were a stroke back.