CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) _ Having already improved 24 strokes on
his last British Open at Carnoustie, Sergio Garcia went out Friday
to protect a lead.
Tiger Woods was lurking, however.
Garcia returned to ``Car-Nicely'' for the second round, looking
to build on an opening 6-under-par 65 that once again raised
expectations he might finally win his first career major.
The emotional Spaniard slipped a bit with a three-putt bogey at
No. 4, but he remained even for the round with a pair of birdies on
the par 5s. After sinking a short birdie at No. 14 _ the sort of
putts that have bedeviled Garcia in the past _ he tellingly pumped
his fist.
All eyes in the afternoon figured to be on Woods, who shot 69 on
Thursday in a strong start to his quest to win a third straight Open
title. The last to pull off a three-peat was Peter Thomson, more
than a half-century ago.
Woods added another signature moment to the majors when he holed
a 90-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th.
Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez nearly made a hole-in-one at that
daunting, 248-yard hole. His tee shot stopped just inches beyond the
cup for a tap-in birdie, on the way to a 70 that had the
``Mechanic'' solidly in contention for his first major title.
Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont., was 1-under following his
first hole of the second round and 1-under for the tournament.
Calgary's Stephen Ames, after opening with a 10-over 81 on Thursday,
was 1-under through four holes Friday.
Garcia, Jimenez and all the other Europeans are trying to break
the continent's eight-year drought in the majors. Scotland's Paul
Lawrie was the last to win one, at this very course in the '99 Open
_ which, of course, is mostly remembered for Jan Van de Velde
squandering a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole.
Ireland's Paul McGinley, a Ryder Cup stalwart for Europe, had a
late tee time after starting with a 67.
Jim Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open winner and a runner-up last month
at Oakmont, kept up his strong play in the majors with a second
straight 70. He took a bogey at No. 10, but actually caught a break
when a shot heading for the Barry Burn caught a bridge railing and
stayed dry, albeit up against a tree that forced Furyk to improvise
his next swing.
``I'm relatively happy,'' he said. ``I made some mistakes, both
physical and mental. But I played a bunch of practice rounds. I feel
comfortable where to put the ball.''
And be sure to tune in for the next episode of ``Boo Does
Britain.''
Boo Weekley, a country boy from the Florida Panhandle, was making
quite a splash in his first Open. He may be scared to drive on the
left side of the road, but he had little trouble with Carnoustie,
getting within two strokes of the lead at 4-under.
While Garcia was holding steady, the same couldn't be said for
18-year-old amateur Rory McIlroy. The kid from Holywood (Northern
Ireland, not California) struggled to a 76 after rousing the
galleries with a bogey-free 68 on Thursday.
His downfall started before the turn, when he knocked a shot out
of bounds at No. 9. After taking a penalty drop, McIlroy missed a
short putt and tapped in for double bogey. He quickly made two more
bogeys on the back side, flipping his club in the air at one point
in disgust.
Still, McIlroy was sure to make the cut in his first Open. Not
bad for a player who won't be getting a payday, not matter where he
finishes.
``Just to play the weekend at the Open is fantastic,'' he said.
``Hopefully I can enjoy the next couple of days and play some good
golf.''
Even though the breeze picked up off the North Sea and the pins
were tucked into tougher spots, Carnoustie was playing more like
``Car-Nicely'' _ a striking contrast to the beast that brought most
of the world's top players to their knees in 1999, when the Open
last came to this historic links.
That year, Garcia opened with a triple bogey on his way to an 89,
still the worst round of his professional career. He followed with
an 83, his second-worst round, and headed home at 30-over par,
driven to tears by a course known as ``Car-Nasty.''
