Golf-Swede Lingmerth sets early pace as Tiger roars

July 31 (Reuters) - Swede David Lingmerth birdied three of
his last five holes to take the clubhouse lead in the second
round while tournament host Tiger Woods also charged into
contention at the Quicken Loans National in Virginia on Friday.
Lingmerth, who won his first PGA Tour title in a playoff for
the Memorial Tournament last month, fired a sizzling
six-under-par 65 on another hot, sunny day at Robert Trent Jones
Golf Club in Gainesville.
The 28-year-old from Tranas signed off by sinking a 20-foot
birdie putt at the par-three ninth to post a nine-under total of
133, one stroke ahead of Woods (66) and five other players.
Woods, who has struggled on the PGA Tour this season while
working through his latest swing change as he recovers from back
surgery, mixed six birdies with a lone bogey to rocket up the
leaderboard.
"I hit the ball really well today, but I missed a few
putts," Woods told reporters after posting his lowest opening
36-hole total on the U.S. circuit since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone
Invitational. "This could have been a really low one."
Now ranked a lowly 266th in the world, Woods said he was
given extra motivation on Friday after a popped up tee shot at
the 14th, his fifth hole of the day, led to his only bogey of
the round.
"It got me a little fired up," smiled Woods, who finished
level with fellow Americans Pat Perez (67), Charles Howell III
(67) and Jimmy Walker (63), Englishman Greg Owen (68) and South
Korean Kim Meen-whee (66).
"Got me a little more focused on what I'm doing out there
instead of just hitting a shot."
Lingmerth, whose uncle, Goran Lingmerth, played for the
National Football League's Cleveland Browns, was delighted to
take over at the top of the leaderboard after getting some putts
to drop.
"I don't think I've done anything really special," the Swede
told PGA Tour Radio. "I've just kind of been staying in the
game, pretty straight off the tee and gotten got some good
looks.
"And finally today I got some putts to go in too. So nine
under after two (rounds), I am happy with where I am sitting for
the weekend."
Veteran South African Retief Goosen and 23-year-old Japanese
Ryo Ishikawa, who set the first-round pace with 63s, were among
the day's later starters.
The cut was projected to fall at one-under 141.