Tiger Woods barely makes the cut at the Memorial

It could have been worse for Tiger Woods on a stormy Friday at the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio. But not much worse.

The world’s No. 1 golfer flirted with missing the cut, finishing at one over par to sneak into weekend play. He stands 10 strokes behind leader Bill Haas, who shot a five-under-par 67 in the second round.

Winds and rain caused play at Muirfield Village to be halted several times and finally suspended with 42 players still on the course. Almost as difficult, the greens were lightning fast.

“Tough conditions out there,” Woods said. “And I didn’t exactly play my best, either.”

With three victories in his last four starts, Woods had looked like a good bet to defend his title at the Memorial. But he hit only 10 greens in regulation and could not find the correct speed on the greens with his putter.

A rally on his back nine kept him alive and he remained confident that his game could rebound in time for the U.S. Open in two weeks.

“I’m not too disappointed with it,” he said. “I’m not that far off.”

Haas said he has gained a slightly different perspective on the game since the recent birth of his first child, William. A cooler temperature helped with the inclement weather.

“As fast as those greens are ... it’s very difficult to make a lot of putts,” Haas said. “Fortunately, I was able to have a few fall in for me.”

Rory McIlroy, who opened the tournament with a six-over 78, had five birdies through 14 holes on Friday to leave him at two over, one below the projected cutline. His second shot at the par-five 15th hole went into a greenside bunker, from where he’ll play his third shot when the second round resumes Saturday morning.

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