SHANGHAI, China – Tiger Woods saved par on the last hole after hitting a 5-wood into the water Friday to finish with a 3-under 69, two shots behind co-leaders David Howell and Nick Dougherty after two rounds of the HSBC Champions tournament.

Howell shot a bogey-free round with five birdies for a 67 and Dougherty had a 4-under 68 to head into the weekend at 12 under.

Woods and Australia’s Nick O’Hern (67) tied at 10 under, ahead of a group of five at 9 under.

Woods, who bogeyed his last hole Thursday after hitting his tee shot into a bunker and giving up a share of the first-round lead, made a charge on the back nine. He had three consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 15th to get to 11-under before he bogeyed the 16th, hitting a chip into a greenside bunker and then two-putting.

He hit a risky second shot into a lake on the right side of the 538-yard, par-5 18th at Sheshan International Golf Club. After taking a drop, Woods saved par with a long, curling putt that just dribbled into the cup to finish the round.

“I didn’t feel comfortable with my club selection at the 18th … and dumped it in the water,” Woods said. “I made a good save. To have finished 2 over for the last three holes would have left a really bad taste in the mouth.”

Dougherty was in a three-way tie with Peter O’Malley and Paul Lawrie for the overnight lead at 8 under. He also saved par on his last hole – No. 9 – holing a 20-foot putt from the edge of the green.

Lawrie, the 1999 British Open winner, shot a 75 in the second round, dropping back to 5 under.

Second-ranked Vijay Singh was two strokes behind Woods and O’Hern at 8 under, along with U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell, K.J. Choi, Thomas Bjorn, Ian Poulter and O’Malley.

England’s Kenneth Ferrie had a hole-in-one, hitting a 4-iron 193 yards that landed 8 feet in front of the flag and rolled in at the 6th. He got to 11 under, but hit the first of his four bogeys on No. 8 and finished with two bogeys for a 3-under 69 to put him at 9 under and tied with Paul Casey, Robert-Jan Derksen, Thaworn Wiratchant and Zhang Lianwei.

Ferrie marched off the course feeling frustrated.

“A round of golf involves playing 18 holes, so no matter what I did earlier, it wasn’t an impressive finish,” Ferrie said in a statement. “In my mind, it was an impressive nine holes, but not an impressive round.

“I know I’ve left a bundle of shots out there. The hole-in-one was just a good 4-iron – a good shot – but holes-in-one are just lucky. People play their whole lives without getting one – I’ve had about six or seven and two in competition.”

Kim, Hetherington take equal share in lead

MOBILE, Ala.- U.S. Solheim Cup star Christina Kim shot her second straight 5-under 67 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Australia’s Rachel Hetherington in the Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions.

Kim had four birdies and two bogeys – both on par 5s – in the first six holes.

“I wanted to come out and stay aggressive,” Kim said. “If I saw a flag, I wanted my ball next to it. I’m going to keep playing that way. Even when I try to play smart I walk off looking stupid. This is the kind of course where you can turn around four shots in two holes, so you have to stay aggressive.”

Hetherington shot a 65 to match Kim at 10-under 134 on the Magnolia Grove Golf Club’s Crossings Course. First-round leader Liselotte Neumann double-bogeyed the 17th en route to a 72 that left her four strokes back along with Hee-Won Han (68) and defending champion Heather Daly-Donofrio (70).

“There are a lot of great players here who have played great golf and I still think, on this golf course, it’s still could be anyone’s tournament,” Hetherington said. “I’m happy with where I am and it’s a good place to be.”

Hetherington bogeyed the first two holes to drop to 1 under for the tournament, but rebounded with a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fourth and birdied seven of the last 14 holes for her share of the lead.

Hetherington, No. 40 on the money list, does not have a chance to reach the top 30 on the money list to earn a spot next week in the season-ending ADT Tour Championship.

“My pride is hurt a little bit because I’m not in the top 30,” said Hetherington, winless since the 2003 Rochester LPGA. “I have a little extra to play for and finish on a high note this year.”

Gore and Funk take lead at Naples tournament

NAPLES, Fla. – A different odd couple – Jason Gore and Fred Funk – is atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Long-hitting Gore, 31, and accurate Funk, 49, fired a 9-under-par 63 Friday to take the lead at Tiburon Golf Club. Gore and Funk survived a bogey in the alternate shot format, rebounding with a birdie on No. 17 before just missing a 10-footer for birdie on the final hole.

“We probably stole a few and left a few out there,” Gore said. “That’s kind of what you have to do in alternate shot.”

The Gore-Funk team has a similar makeup to two-time defending champions Hank Kuehne, 30, one of the longest hitters on tour; and Jeff Sluman, 48, an accurate iron player.

“I’ve never really been paired with a guy who’s as long as he is,” Funk said of Gore. “The game’s a lot easier from where he plays it. That’d be nice to be able to hit it that long.”

John Huston, a late replacement for injured Scott Hoch, teamed with Kenny Perry at 8 under, and Mark O’Meara and Nick Price matched it to tie for second along with Fred Couples and Adam Scott.

Huston and Perry birdied Nos. 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18 on the back nine to take the early lead. O’Meara and Price birdied two of the final three holes. Couples and Scott had a six-birdie stretch in seven holes, but then were 1 under over the final seven. Ryan Moore, a late replacement for Fredrik Jacobson, and Jesper Parnevik were even par after five holes, but played the next 13 in 7 under and are in fifth.

Kuehne and Sluman were just 1 under at the turn, but played the back nine in 5 under to get within three shots, along with Paul Azinger and Olin Browne.

Tournament founder Greg Norman, playing one month after minor knee surgery, struggled with partner Steve Elkington. They finished 3 under and were 11th.

Teams play better ball on Saturday and a scramble on Sunday. The winners split $630,000 of the $2.6 million purse.

Gore and Funk had a stretch of six birdies in seven holes to get to 9 under after No. 14.

This is a new experience for Gore, who hasn’t played in a team event since he was 15.

“It’s been a while, but it’s pretty comfortable to sit here and to play with such a professional as Freddie is,” Gore said. “He’s such a great cheerleader and makes me feel so comfortable out there. I was pretty nervous.”

AP-ES-11-11-05 1608EST


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