Els's luck changes as Woods fights on

Golf Players' Championship: If, as Darren Clarke pointed out before a ball was struck in anger at the TPC at Sawgrass, luck is a vital element in determining a title winner, then yesterday it was time for Ernie Els to wonder aloud about the vagaries of golf.

Yesterday, a week after missing the cut - at Bay Hill - on a course that he reckons suits his game more than most, the South African moved into contention in the Players' Championship on a course that doesn't.

"To be honest with you, I've never really had a great time around here (at Sawgrass) . . . my results in the past haven't been up to standard.

"I mean, I like where you have a bit of room off the tees. Bay Hill is more my type of golf course but I missed the cut there, and this is not right up my ballpark but I'm right there. This game has gone crazy at times," claimed Els, after shooting a second round 69 for seven-under-par 137, which left him two shots adrift of clubhouse leader Kevin Sutherland.

Indeed, on a day when Tiger Woods fought for his tournament survival, and did a rather good job of resurrecting his title hopes, the two men closest to him in the world rankings put down a marker.

While Els - the world's third ranked player - moved into a menacing position, so too did Vijay Singh - the second ranked player - with a 68 for 138. "If I just start making a few putts, I'm going to be difficult to beat," insisted Singh, who has changed putters for his second round.

Sometimes, though, you wonder is it all just a mind game? After all, Singh took 30 putts yesterday compared to 27 in the first round, but was bold enough to remark, "I'm rolling the ball better with this putter than I did the old one, made some nice six, eight-footers that kept me going."

Whatever about the mind games being played in the heads of the top players, Els - who has managed only two top-10 finishes in nine previous appearances in the Players', which included two missed cuts - could at least get back to the business of chasing titles. "My ball-striking has been very good, it reminds me of the start of the year again," said Els, who successfully defended the Sony Open in his second appearance of the season.

That missed cut, which ended a streak of 19, didn't play on Els's mind heading into Sawgrass. "As a professional golfer, you want to go into every week and feel that you've got the chance to win the tournament and you want to give yourself the best shot," he insisted.

For some, though, it was a battle for survival, rather than such honest thoughts of securing victory. As Tiger Woods moved to the 10th tee in the sunshine - later on, rain materialised out of the blue skies for a short time as if by magic provide nourishment for parched greens - he did so with the prospect of missing a cut in a tournament for the first time since the 1998 Canadian Open, a streak of 119 consecutive events.

Positioned in 108th place at the start of the day, Woods - who has apparently entrusted his swing to Hank Haney, the coach to his friend Mark O'Meara - signalled his intentions straight away, eagling the 11th - his second hole - from 10 feet and then birdieing the 12th. In the space of three holes, he had managed to wipe the slate clean, moving from three-over to level par, where he stood after 18 holes.

Darren Clarke, meanwhile, was putting a different kind of pressure on himself. Having started his round at the 10th with a bogey, Clarke slipped over-par when also bogeying the 15th - when he failed to reach the green with his approach - but then produced back-to-back birdies on two of the most difficult finishing holes in golf. On the 17th, he rolled in a 15-footer and, then, on the 18th followed up by holing a 12-footer to go to one-under.

On a day that saw Jose Maria Olazabal hole-in-one on the 13th, but still miss the cut, and Retief Goosen continue his quite dreadful performances on the Sawgrass course - missing the cut for the fifth time in six appearances - the pace was set by American Sutherland, who had only managed one top-10 finish in six outings this season. Indeed, his last appearance in the Chrysler Classic resulted in a missed cut.

Yesterday, though, Sutherland followed up his opening round 66 with a 69 for nine-under-par 135 that left him in the clubhouse lead, with only Jerry Kelly of the later starters making any inroads on him. And, like Clarke the prophet had anticipated before the tournament start, there is always an element of luck required to conquer the Sawgrass course. For Sutherland, his moment arrived on the 15th hole, just after he had made "a brilliant bogey" on the 14th where he had pushed his drive into trees. On the 15th, he found a greenside bunker with his approach but proceeded to hole out for birdie. "I had a good feel about that bunker shot. I obviously didn't think I was going to hole it, but I thought I could get it close," he claimed.