GOLF: As forlorn as the chase may seem, with Tiger Woods at his imperious best, those in pursuit have no intentions of throwing in the towel. Not just yet, at any rate.
"I suppose it's in his own hands but, no, I'm not going to play for second," insisted Padraig Harrington, one of those chasing the world's number one, who established a healthy halfway lead in the €5.8-million WGC-American Express championship at The Grove, north of London.
Yesterday, with a stiff wind swirling around this parkland course to accentuate the challenge, Woods seemed oblivious to any impediments as he went about his business. When he eventually signed his card for the second round, it was for a 64 that left him on 127, 15 under, and five shots clear of the trio consisting of Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink and David Howell in tied-second place. Harrington was a shot further adrift, on his own in fifth.
If there are times when Woods appears more like a robotic machine than someone with human frailties, this was one of them. His shot-making was superb, his execution close to perfection.
Just as he did in the first round, Woods eagled the 18th, his ninth hole yesterday, which acted as the catalyst for a run of four birdies over the next six holes to open up a gap on those with aspirations to a title he has virtually owned since its inception.
Indeed, his play of the past two days raises the prospect of breaking a number of tour records.
One is the US PGA low score of 31-under set by Ernie Els in winning the 2003 Mercedes Championship; the other the European Tour low score of 29-under established by Els when winning the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic.
Not that such records really appeal to Woods. "Who cares (about records), as long as I get a 'W' (win)," said Woods.
"If I shoot 50-under or if I shoot 11-under, that's good enough to win. Who really cares?"
On the evidence of the past two days, the Woods that has shown up here is a far cry from the one who appeared in the Ryder Cup.
Without the constraint of having to play for someone else, Woods has resumed where he left off in strokeplay tournaments at the end of August when his win in the Deutsche Bank championship in Boston constituted his fifth successive tournament victory.
If he were to win here, it would be his sixth straight on the US PGA Tour.
Does he have Byron Nelson's record streak of 11 in mind?
"In this day and age, it's really hard to do, if not impossible. The fields (now) are so much deeper.
"I've talked to Byron about that, he said he only had four or five guys to beat. It's not like that any more. There are a bunch of guys that can win a tournament. It takes a lot of luck to win golf tournaments, as well as some skill. You've got to have things go your way."
Over the past few months, Woods has been making a pretty good fist of dominating tournaments. For the past two days, it has been a similar story. Yet, on a course playing soft with receptive greens and putting surfaces as good as any on tour, there is a capacity for someone coming from behind with a really low score over the weekend.
Harrington is one of those intent on making a move.
Unfortunately for the Dubliner, he suffered his first bogey in 36 holes on the ninth, his 18th, in yesterday's second round when his three-wood tee shot found the right rough and he could only play out short of the green and failed to get up and down for par.
"There's a lot to play for over the weekend, 36 holes," said Harrington.
"Obviously, Tiger is a bit relentless but it is something to chase. There's no point in holding back now. It's about being aggressive on the weekend and trying to make plenty of birdies. The goal is to go out there and make lots of birdies and accept making a few bogeys."
Apart from being a big tournament for Harrington in that it is a world golf championship, just a step below that of a major, this is also an important event for the Dubliner in that he needs a top-two finish here if he is to claim a place in the US Tour's Tour Championship in November, which is confined to the top 30 players on the US money list.
Harrington insisted he would not approach the weekend thinking that second place was the height of his ambition.
"I felt today, especially early on, that I lost a little bit of patience. I was hitting nice shots but maybe just a little too safe and I feel I've got to take advantage of when I'm swinging it well to go after a few more pins . . . so, I'm going to try to shoot the lowest score I can over the weekend, try to be aggressive and not to worry about making the odd mistake."
For those who felt there might have been a Ryder Cup hangover of sorts for those who won or suffered defeat at The K Club last week, with maybe those players who weren't competing having a possible edge, this tournament has proven them wrong.
While Woods has established a five-stroke lead, the chief pursuers - Furyk, Cink, Howell and Harrington - were also involved in the match.
But as it has been for much of the summer and into autumn, Woods is the leader; others are pursuing. He's rarely, if ever, caught in such situations.
127 (-15)
Tiger Woods (US) 63 64
132 (-10)
Jim Furyk (US) 67 65
David Howell (Eng) 66 66
Stewart Cink (US) 65 67
133 (-9)
Padraig Harrington (Ire) 64 69
134 (-8)
Brett Quigley (US) 70 64
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