Woods Not Taking This One by Storm

For Friday’s second round of the British Open, Tiger Woods chose an all-black ensemble, possibly in sympathy for the weather, because the color of the clouds that hung heavily over Muirfield was nearly a perfect match.

The weather would not have been judged especially bad, if it were, say, January, but because it is the middle of July and it is supposedly summer and Woods is out here doing his best to win the third part of the Grand Slam, you would be forgiven to have wished for something cheerier than cold and damp.

Meanwhile, Tiger probably wished he could have wrung a couple more birdies out of his round of 68. Three shots out of the lead when the day began, Woods moved up a notch and was only two shots out of the lead when it ended. At this rate, he’ll be in a playoff Sunday afternoon.

Chances are that would suit Woods just fine, although he knows there is a lot more work to do to get that far. By 7 p.m., he was back at the driving range, checking out his swing. Here’s a better idea. Tiger probably should send somebody out to check on a few of the greens, such as the par-five ninth, where he putted for an eagle from just off the green and wound up only with par.

There were two other tricky ones, the par-four 15th and par-three 16th, where both times he stood over birdie putts only to watch the ball find part of the hole and spin back.

If things had been just a little different, Tiger would be in the lead and he knows it. But when he assessed his first two days at Muirfield, Woods was not upset or angry or unfulfilled. In fact, he admitted to feeling a certain comfort level that almost seemed to surprise him.

And yet what should really have surprised Woods was that no one really ran away with the tournament to force him to make up too much ground too quickly. Muirfield is not a course you can slam dunk, but as Colin Montgomerie proved with his 64, it can occasionally give up a low score if you don’t try to force it.

At this point, Woods doesn’t have to do that. He hasn’t played his best yet and he’s still only an arm’s length from the lead.

Warm and enthusiastic applause greeted Woods when he walked up the 18th fairway with Shigeki Maruyama and Justin Rose alongside him. Woods acknowledged the crowd by taking off his cap, then waving.

Naturally, Woods draws the largest galleries at Muirfield and interest in him is high, judging by the crowds and the amount of newsprint that is devoted to him every day. Even in rural Scotland, images of Woods seem to be everywhere.

A series of Woods advertising billboards, made of inflatable rubber, stand along either side of the two-lane A198, just past the road to Dirleton and before the road leading to Fenton Barns.

How far can Tiger drive?

That’s what is printed on the first one on the left side of the road from the coastal town of North Berwick, with a photo of Tiger swinging a club wearing his familiar red shirt. The next one is on the right side and it has this message: Tiger can go further.

The rest of the rubber billboards continue to alternate sides of the road.

A little further.

Further.

Further.

Damn, we ran out of boards.

You know, you really have to hand it to them. As an ad campaign, the billboards are probably working out well here in the East Lothian countryside. You really can’t miss them. One morning this week, a whole herd of cattle had gathered in front of the first billboard and they seemed genuinely interested.

Tiger is the main topic of interest of all creatures as he tries to capture the third leg of the Grand Slam.

He said Friday that he’s not even thinking about it, which is probably true when he’s on the course. But Woods knows history when he’s making it, so you can be sure he is aware of what is at stake.

Woods is generally accorded an edge competitively and psychologically, and that’s by the players trying to beat him. You can see their point.

First of all, he has already won the first two majors this year, so Tiger is confident. Tiger’s mental edge over his closest contenders hasn’t shown any weakness in the majors, at least not yet. And who else has inflatable billboards that attract even cattle? Not Ernie Els.

Woods says his contentment could be traced to the fact that he has avoided real trouble. He could have double bogeyed the first hole Thursday, but he made par. He drove into the rough on the par-five fifth hole Friday, but he caught a break with a trampled-down lie and made birdie. And after his three-putt par, Woods hit his drive into the rough at the 10th but saved par by making an uphill 18-footer with a one-foot break from right to left.

To hear him tell it, it sounded so simple, as if it was all part of some great plan. It’s almost as if he is just biding his time, waiting for the breaks to come, the putts to fall and the lead to come to him. There are still two days to find out if Tiger is right, again.