Woods in control

Tour Championship: Tiger Woods threatened to shoot the lowest score of his career before losing his momentum to finish with a seven-under-par 63 in the second round at the Tour Championship.

Woods, who has a three-shot halfway lead over fellow American Woody Austin, picked up seven strokes in a stunning six-hole stretch on the front nine at East Lake.

He negotiated the outward half in just 28 in perfect scoring conditions, which left him needing only to come home in 31 shots to shoot the magical 59. The way he was playing, he seemed likely, at the very least, to challenge his career best score of 61.

However, he was not the same after the turn, and a bogey at the par-four 12th, where he plugged his approach shot in a greenside bunker, put paid to any thoughts of a 59.

Woods birdied the par-five 15th, bogeyed the 16th and birdied the last for what surely must rank as the most disappointing 63 of his life.

He posted a 13-under 127 halfway total, with Austin (65) alone on 10-under, with defending champion Adam Scott (66), first round leader Tim Clark (69) and veteran Mark Calcavecchia (66) another shot back.

Sergio Garcia (64) heads the small European contingent, five shots off the pace, with Padraig Harrington (70) another stroke back.

"I wouldn't be shocked if somebody broke 60," Harrington said, speaking while Woods was still on the front nine.

"I just can't remember playing golf as target-orientated as this. The greens are soft, the fairways are soft, there's no wind.

"The greens are rolling great. They're at a pace any time you miss the green you're not short-sided. You can flop it up in the air and stop it dead.

"No matter what club you have in your bag, you're going after pins. There are only three or four fairways you have to worry where, if you miss, you have trouble getting to the green. It's all there for scoring."

As for his own round, the Dubliner added: "I played pretty much the same as yesterday. A couple of putts didn't drop but all in all I probably played a little better."

Apart from taking command of the tournament, Woods also moved closer to the $10 million bonus for winning the new play-off series.