HOW WOODS MISSED BREAKING A RECORD Coming into the 18th green on Friday, Woods was already at seven under. Had he made his ninth birdie of the round, he would have been the first golfer to card a 62 in a Major. His 15-foot birdie attempt (above) looked successful, but spun from the left rim of the cup and out from the right. A frustrated Woods turned away and threw his club in the air. He said later that he felt 'mad' after the miss.

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He grabbed a white towel and wiped his forehead before finally settling beside his ball, turning his head to his left and back down again.

He rapped the ball, sending it tumbling towards the hole from 15 feet and, maybe, another piece of history.

His birdie putt for a record 62 dived into the left side of the cup but spun out to the right.

He dropped the putter over his shoulder and bowed his head.

His consolation was a seven-under-par 63 - tied for the lowest score in a Major - and a two-shot lead over fellow American Scott Verplank in the 89th PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

After a first-round 71 on Thursday, he finished 36 holes on 134.

Canada's Stephen Ames and Australian Geoff Ogilvy had 137.

Woods, a 12-time Major champion chasing Jack Nicklaus' career record of 18, took a valuable step towards winning this event.

Winners of all six previous Majors at Southern Hills led after 36 holes.

In addition, Woods is 7-0 in Majors after leading through 36 holes, and also perfect in Majors when ahead after 54.

Said the world No 1, who shot his best round in a Major: 'I knew if I made that putt, it would have been a nice record to have. I thought it was in.

'I hit it a little firm. I know it broke a lot more at the end than at the beginning, and it was diving. It just didn't want to go in.'

His round was the 23rd time a 63 has been shot in 403 Majors, and served as a loud reminder that Southern Hills - with its doglegs and narrow fairways - just might fit his eye after all.

In 1996, at the Tour Championship here, he finished tied for 21st place.

Five years later, at the US Open, he finished tied for 12th, and saw his run of consecutive Major victories stopped at four.

But on Friday, as temperatures soared and Southern Hills sent several players tumbling down the leader board, he carded a special round on precise driving, deft scrambling and a putting stroke that usually found its mark.

Starting the round six shots behind overnight leader Graeme Storm (76), he made eight birdies and one bogey - when he found an awkward stance in a greenside bunker and failed to get up and down.

Other than that hiccup, he went through his round error-free. He saved par with a 30-foot putt on the 12th hole and then birdied No 13, 14 and 15 as he jumped ahead of Verplank, who shot a 66.

'I was just trying to get myself back in this tournament,' he said. 'And lo and behold, here I am. Sixty-two would have meant I had a three-shot lead instead of a two-shot lead.'

Storm, the first-round leader after a 65, stumbled to a messy round that included eight bogeys and a double bogey.

John Daly, who shot a first-round 67, opened with back-to-back bogeys and shot 73 to trail Woods by six shots.

There were a few big names who missed the cut, which was set at at 145 with 72 players qualifying for the weekend.

World No 2 Jim Furyk and twice-winner Vijay Singh were the biggest casualties.

American Furyk, who pulled out of last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, with a back injury, missed out by a stroke, after carding 75 and 71.

Vijay, winner of the PGA Championship at Sahalee in 1998 and Whistling Straits in 2004, left the tournament after shooting 75 and 71.

Other casualties included US Open champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina and American Zach Johnson, surprise winner of the Masters in April.

Johnson ended the two rounds on 10 over, a score matched by his Ryder Cup teammate Vaughn Taylor and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez.

AP, REUTERS