Tiger Woods stealing the show at the Tour Championship

Tiger Woods continued his run atop the leaderboard at the TOUR Championship in the second round. He heads into the weekend tied for the lead with Justin Rose.

It didn’t really matter what anyone else did at the Tour Championship on Friday. It felt like something extraordinary was going to happen. It felt like a final round, a Sunday showdown, even though it was just the second day of the tournament. That was because of one man: Tiger Woods. From first tee shot to the final putt, the focus was squarely on him. He started in the lead and he ended there.

He called it a day of grinding. His fans probably called it a day of anticipation, of hoping that he would still be on top at the end of the second round.

“I wasn’t quite as sharp as I was yesterday, but hung in there and tried to miss the ball on the correct sides so I had angles. For the most part of the day, I did that,” Woods said to media following his round.

As the afternoon unfolded, it was of no consequence that Woods dropped a shot at the 9^th hole to fall out of the lead. It was insignificant that he and Justin Rose, who was playing one group ahead, were tied through the front nine or that they were one back. Woods was still the story with every step, every pitch, every putt.

ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 21: Tiger Woods of the United States plays a shot on the fifth hole during the second round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 21, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

He seemed to be trying to stretch himself one notch higher, to the stratospheric atmosphere he used to own all by himself. As he was fighting, miraculously, some challengers started to fall away. Rickie Fowler bogeyed the 10^th, 12^th and 14^th. Jon Rahm did the same at the 10^th and 14^th and then doubled the 15^th. But Justin Rose remained, and now they are tied at the top.

“Obviously people are excited about watching Tiger play again,” Rose noted when speaking with media after round two. “He’s obviously right on form and feeling very comfortable out there, looks like he’s driving it well, irons have been great all year, looks comfortable with the blade.”

Rose is not giving up the top spot without a fight. He said there was more on his mind than Tiger Woods.

“I’m in a position where I want to win this golf tournament, and I can keep it as simple as that. I know that if I do that, it’s gravy all the way,” he said about the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup. Rose is in the top five in points, and should he win the tournament, he automatically wins the Cup and the $10 million bonus.

"“I think if I was seventh or eighth right now, I’d be running the calculations a lot more in my head possibly, but right now I’m trying to keep that simple objective of winning this golf tournament,” he added."

Woods spoke to the difficulties of trying to finish it off.

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"“We’re only halfway home, and this course, the way it’s playing right now, you’ve got to be so patient,” he said. It’s hard to make birdies, and on top of that, it’s hard to get the ball close. It’s very easy to make mistakes, make a few bogeys here and there. And look at most of the field, that’s basically what they’re doing.”"

Woods has threatened to win since the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and this week, he truly looks to be on the brink of victory No. 80. He’s so close that you swear he could peek over the edge and see it. But he doesn’t see that. He sees what he has to do first.

"“I’m rolling the ball well, but, more importantly, I need to leave the ball in the correct spots,” he explained. “Above the holes is not easy this week, and so it’s imperative I hit the ball in the fairway so I can control my spin coming into the greens. Yesterday I had a bunch of uphill putts, and hence I shot 5-under.”"

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Rose spoke of being committed on every shot, particularly with the extra attention that accompanies a Tiger Woods pairing.

"“There is going to be more distraction out there maybe, but just being committed to your shots and maybe playing through a little bit of stuff, as well,” Rose said. “I played with him earlier this year in Bay Hill and enjoyed playing with him there. But yeah, there’s more on my mind than just playing with Tiger tomorrow for sure.”"

The third round will be a block-buster, especially for those who want to see Woods win again.

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