Far more tantalizing going into the weekend was Woods and Phil Mickelson, who ended their PGA Tour season with a compelling battle in Atlanta, going at it again halfway around the world in China.
Woods missed six birdie chances inside 20 feet and was growing increasingly agitated until one putt on the ninth changed his outlook.
“It certainly was a little bit frustrating, but the guys weren’t running off and hiding, either,’’ Woods said. “I knew if I could just play the back nine at 3 under par . . . I figured that would probably be a pretty good number. And I did a couple better than that.’’
Mickelson chipped in for birdie on the 15th, then recovered from a poor tee shot with an unlikely birdie on the 16th. After trying to play short off the tee on the 288-yard hole and hitting a hybrid into a bunker, Mickelson faced an awkward distance and a slightly plugged lie in the sand.
He blasted a pitching wedge to 12 feet and made another birdie.
“One of the best shots I hit all day,’’ Mickelson said, and one final birdie on the par-5 18th gave him a 66.
Behind him was Woods, hard to miss with the size of his gallery and the accompanying cheers. He came up short with his wedge and chipped in for birdie, then reached the green in two on the 538-yard closing hole framed by water for a two-putt birdie.
That put him in the lead at 10-under 134 with Watney, who birdied his last two holes for a 70.
Mickelson is part of a crowd at 9-under 135. He is joined by Alvaro Quiros, the Spaniard reputed to be golf’s biggest hitter, who shot a 66; and Ryan Moore, who made an 8-foot eagle on the 18th and finished at No. 9 by chipping in for birdie.
Another shot behind is Anthony Kim, who saved his aggressiveness for the 18th hole by hitting a 5-wood to 4 feet for eagle.
