Mickelson leads at Sawgrass

Phil Mickelson made full use of his renowned short game to take the halfway lead after the second round at the Players Championship.

On a day when the British challenge never got off the launch pad, American Mickelson had to conjure up some magic to shoot an even-par 72 at the Sawgrass TPC.

"I didn't play well enough to shoot even par," Mickelson said after posting a five-under 139 total, one shot better than battling Australian Nathan Green (69), with Swede Carl Pettersson (71) among a group two shots back.

Only two British players made the cut, with Ian Poulter (71) and Luke Donald (72) equal 38th with Irishman Padraig Harrington (70), seven strokes off the pace.

A notable absentee from the leaderboard was Tiger Woods, who struggled to make the cut, his participation in the final two rounds in doubt until the very end.

It was not until he birdied the par-five 16th and stayed dry at the last two holes that the world number one was assured of staying alive, although he has a lot of ground to make up nine strokes back.

Less than a week after winning the Wachovia Championship, Woods did not make a birdie in Thursday's first round and he was not much better 24 hours later, his only two birdies coming at par-five holes.

Woods was particularly unhappy with his putting, claiming he had trouble getting used to the speed of the greens, which are slower than usual.

"I've left so many putts short," he said after a 71.

"They're so slow [the greens], it's hard to make yourself hit the putts that hard. You remember some of the putts being so fast and running out. They don't do that anymore."

Woods refused to concede defeat, saying: "I need to get into red numbers at day's end tomorrow and see where that stands.

"I'm going straight to the range to hit some balls and also putt for a while."

Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal charged to within five shots of the lead with a spectacular 66.

The two-time Masters champion was contemplating missing the cut after an opening bogey, but he stormed back with eight birdies, including four in a row.

"I was looking to that long flight home," he said when asked what he was thinking after the first hole.

"It didn't look very good but you have to keep on trying and it was early in the day.

"It was a good thing I birdied 11 (his second hole) straight away and then birdied 13. That cheered me up a bit.

"I didn't strike the ball all that well but managed to keep the ball in play off the tee more than yesterday and, when those putts go in, it makes the difference."

Olazabal made six birdies in seven holes starting at the 16th, his seventh, thanks to a combination of some precise approach shots, as well as a couple of monster putts and a chip-in.

None was longer than the 50-footer he holed at the infamous par-three 17th.

"Sometimes you need those breaks to help your round," he continued.

Olazabal has never been a very good driver, more renowned for the quality of his iron play and short game, and he has a mixed record here, with seventh place last year his best result.

"This is a course where you have to strike the ball well," he added.

"If you're not, you're going to struggle big time. You don't have anywhere to bail out, and that's why it's one of the best courses we play all year.

"The guy that wins must have done a lot of things good."

Meanwhile, Harrington was not happy after three-putting from seven feet at his final hole, missing his second putt from three feet.

But Colin Montgomerie was in an even fouler mood after failing with a two-footer at the last to miss the cut by one stroke.