Aaron Baddeley, Adam Scott and Greg Chalmers remain close while Tiger Woods made a big move in the second round of the US PGA Memorial Tournament in Ohio.
Woods shot a three under par 69 to move into a tie for second at five under, just one shot behind South African sole leader Rory Sabbatini whose second consecutive 69 left him at six under par at Muirfield Village.
Woods is joined by Scott Stallings (73) and Spencer Levin (72) while Australia’s Baddeley (72) is just three off the lead at three under par in a tie for seventh.
Scott (72) and Chalmers (71) sit at two under par in a tie for 12th, well within striking distance heading into the weekend.
Both Baddeley and Scott held a share of the lead during the rain and wind affected second round but couldn’t hold on.
Scott, playing in the morning wave, blitzed the opening nine holes in four under par to get it to six-under but gave everything back on the back nine, including a tough finish of three closing bogeys.
Baddeley also used front nine birdies to get into a share for the lead before stumbling at the turn.
Woods, another to hold a share of the lead on the day was three under through 11 holes before a double bogey on the 12th looked to derail his run.
But back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 resurrected his challenge to leave him just one back.
“I hit the ball well all day. It was a day that I needed to as the wind was blowing out there,” Woods said.
“It was swirling in those trees, and it was just a tough day.” Baddeley opened with a birdie, grabbed another at the fifth to move into top spot and the Victorian stayed there until the ninth hole when a pulled approach shot flew into the crowd and a bogey was the result.
He dropped another shot at the 10th but with his momentum stalled the 31-year-old rallied with a bounce-back birdie on the 11th before faltering again with a bogey on the 14th.
Scott made birdies on the second, fifth, sixth and eighth holes before finally dropping a shot on the 11th.
Another bogey on the 13th following bunker trouble had him reeling but a bounce back birdie on the 14th seemed to steady the ship.
But his time at the beach wasn’t over and after finding four bunkers over the closing three holes he dropped a shot at each for his 72. Geoff Ogilvy (+1), Rod Pampling (+2), Robert Allenby (+3), Nick O’Hern (+3) and Marc Leishman (+3) made the weekend while John Senden (+5), Bryden Macpherson (+5), Jason Day (+6) and Stuart Appleby (+6) all missed the cut.
