'So bad': Golf world in uproar over 'pathetic' Tiger Woods scenes

The golfing world's obsession with Tiger Woods hit bizarre new heights in round two of the Masters, with fans hitting out in anger at the coverage around the American star.

Woods' extraordinary comeback to the sport has dominated this year's tournament at Augusta National, with the five-time champion continuing to defy the odds after almost losing a leg in a horror car crash 14 months ago.

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The 46-year-old hadn't played a professional event since November 2020 and shot a one-under par 71 in his opening round to leave fans speechless.

However, the 15-time major winner got off to a nightmare start in the second round as he bogeyed four of his first five holes before seemingly steadying the ship with a birdie on the eighth.

While Woods was struggling through the tough conditions at Augusta, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler emphatically underlined his newly acquired status with a stunning five-under 67 to take a five-shot lead at the halfway stage.

Despite second round charges from several of Woods' rivals, broadcasters were determined to keep their focus on the man whose comeback had captured the world's imagination.

However, that approach reached farcical levels midway through Woods' second round when broadcasters cut away from showing shots of several players in contention to focus on the American star eating a sandwich during a break in play.

The head-scratching decision by broadcasters left viewers fuming on social media, with many claiming the obsession around Woods had gone too far.

Tiger Woods recovers after brutal front nine

After his nightmare front nine, a stunning approach from Woods to the 10th set up another birdie and although it was followed by dropped shots on the 11th and 12th, birdies on the 13th and 14th saw Woods sign off for a 74.

It left the American one-over par at the halfway stage, meaning Woods maintained his stunning record of never missing a Masters cut as a professional.

“It was blustery, swirling all over the place. I got a couple of bad gusts and made a couple of bad swings on top of that," Woods said after his second round.

"I told Joey (La Cava, his caddie) it’s tough for everyone, let’s get back to even for the day somehow.

“There are a few people not struggling out there, Scottie and JT (Justin Thomas) are handling their business but hey I made the cut, got a chance going into the weekend.

“It’s going to be cool tomorrow, going to be the course Augusta National wants, quicker, dryer, faster and a great test.

“I don’t feel as good as I’d like to feel but that’s OK. I’ve got a chance going into the weekend, hopefully have one of those lightbulb moments and get it done. I need to get myself there, that’s the key.”

Scottie Scheffler establishes big lead at halfway stage

While Woods remained optimistic, it will take some effort from him or anyone else in the field to reel in runaway leader Scheffler, who once again demonstrated why he's the best golfer on the planet right now.

Arriving at Augusta National on top of the rankings after three wins in his last five starts, Scheffler simply carried on where he left off with a superb second round of 67 despite a blustery wind making scoring difficult.

That gave the 25-year-old American a halfway total of eight-under par and a record-equalling five-shot lead over defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and first-round leader Sungjae Im.

Four of the five previous players to hold such a halfway lead in tournament history went on to claim the green jacket, with Jordan Spieth the most recent to do so in 2015.

Australia's Cameron Smith endured a tough second round but is still in the mix despite his second-round 74. He is tied sixth, with six shots to make up.

There will be four other Australians joining Smith on the weekend with former champion Adam Scott (74), fellow veteran Marc Leishman (75) and Masters rookies Min Woo Lee (75) and Cam Davis (73) making the cut.

with agencies

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