Orlando, Mar 20: Darren Clarke carded a 68 to claim a share of second at the halfway stage of the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando. But it could have been even better as he three-putted the last after missing a chance to claim a share of first.
The Northern Irishman is on 10 under alongside rising US star Chad Campbell and Australia's Stuart Appleby.
Shigeki Maruyama is two shots clear after a second 66, but Tiger Woods appears to have lost his chance of a fifth straight win here after a 74.
No player has ever won the same PGA Tour event five years in a row and the world number one will need to find something very special to make up his nine-shot deficit to Maruyama.
But it is not the first time the American star has been in this position. He won the 1999 Buick Invitational when he was that far behind Ted Tryba, eventually triumphing by two shots over Billy Ray Brown. "Well, I just need to go ahead and play well and hopefully put myself in a position where I can give it a run on Sunday," Woods said afterwards.
"If the leaders go ahead and play well, hats off to them. I just need to take care of my own business". Woods' round featured a double bogey six when he hit his drive out of bounds on the par-four 11th.

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"Sometimes you go out there and you just don't have it. That's the way golf is," he added.
But worse was to befall world number three Ernie Els, who finished one outside the cut and will miss the weekend.
Host Arnold Palmer also missed the cut after a seven-over-par 79, but the veteran thrilled the fans when he used a driver on the 18th hole off the fairway to find the green and two putt for par. After his round Palmer confirmed that this was his last Bay Hill Invitational. He has played 26 straight times going back to the first tournament in 1979.
But it was a good day for Clarke who was pleased with his performance, despite missing the chance to share for the lead on the last hole. "I was trying to catch Shigeki," he said. "I got a little too aggressive on the first putt. "I'm only two shots back going into the weekend, which is not bad".

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