* Simpson leads by one at The Greenbrier
* Woods set to miss ninth PGA Tour cut of his pro career
(Adds further quotes, detail)
July 6 (Reuters) – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were set
to miss the cut as U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson moved one
stroke clear in Friday’s second round of the weather-delayed
Greenbrier Classic at White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia.
Woods, the hottest player on the U.S. circuit this season
with three victories in his last seven events, struggled with
distance control in his approach play on the way to a
one-under-par 69 on the Old White TPC Course.
The 14-times major champion needed to ace the par-three last
to ensure he advanced to the weekend but his tee shot settled
seven feet from the cup from where he sank the birdie putt for
an even-par total of 140.
It will be only the ninth time Woods has missed the cut in a
PGA Tour event as a professional, and the second occasion this
year after his failure to progress at the Wells Fargo
Championship in May.
“I didn’t quite have it,” a frustrated Woods told reporters
after mixing four birdies with three bogeys. “I drove it really
good today and I just did not have the feel for distances.
“The ball was just going forever. I know we’re at altitude
but I just couldn’t get the ball hit pin-high no matter what I
did. And consequently I made some bogeys.”
Woods, who overtook Jack Nicklaus in second place on the
all-time list of PGA Tour winners with his two-shot triumph at
the ATT National on Sunday, missed the cut in his next start
after a victory for the third time in his career.
Continued…
