Tiger Woods birdied his final hole of the second round to make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open.



Woods, making his official PGA Tour comeback nine months after a spinal fusion surgery, arrived at the par-five ninth (his 18th) at the Torrey Pines North course figuring he probably needed a birdie to advance to the final 36 holes.

After finding the green with his second shot from the rough, he faced the daunting prospect of having to two-putt from 80 feet, and he judged his pace beautifully, stroking his first putt to within two feet of the cup.

“I was grinding my way around the golf course today,” Woods said after signing for a one-under-par 71. “I didn’t quite hit it as good as I’d like to. I fought hard. I was trying to post a number, which I was able to do.“

Woods said he would have left his first putt at the final hole short if he had not spent extra time assessing the slope. “It was a difficult putt. I took a second look at it. I’m glad I did that because I would have left that short.“

The 14-times major champion, at one-under 143, is 10 strokes behind halfway leader Ryan Palmer (67), who heads defending champion Jon Rahm (66) by one stroke.

The tournament victory might be out of reach for Woods, but the importance of getting to play two more rounds in the heat of competition cannot be underestimated as he tries to build up to the first major of the year, the Masters in April.

He drove the ball wildly most of the day, pulling several drives hard left but also blocking a couple right. But his short game was sharp and he putted well.

“I fought hard [and] that is something I’ve done my entire career and this is no different,” he said. “I’ve been away for a very long time. I’m still getting used to my feels but that just takes more time under the fire. I still need more rounds under my belt.“

After a respectable even-par 72 on the South course on Thursday, Woods suffered early second-day blues on another magnificent winter’s morning next to the Pacific Ocean.

A double-bogey at the par-four 13th (his fourth), where he hooked his drive into a hazard and had to take a penalty stroke, was a major setback, but better things lay ahead.