Woods wows 'em at East Lake

Tiger Woods wasn't even paying attention to his score. No one else could ignore it.

It was an incredible stretch of golf that lasted just over an hour under heavy clouds and the threat of storms, but those six holes Friday at the Tour Championship in Atlanta changed everything.

Woods ran off 5 straight birdies, including one he never saw go in from the bottom of a bunker. Then he rammed in a 70-foot eagle putt for a 28 on the front nine of defenseless East Lake, the lowest nine-hole score of his career.

It energized a lifeless gallery at East Lake with hopes of seeing a 59.

And it drained whatever drama was left in the FedEx Cup.

"I don't know if it's a zone or not," Woods said after settling for a 7-under 63 and a 3-shot lead. "I just felt that the rhythm was good. The pace was good. The swing was good. I hit 1 bad putt that went in. I made a bomb. But I was hitting good shots through that stretch. It was nice."

Mark Calcavecchia was tied of the lead when he started hearing one huge roar after another on the other side of the course, and watched Woods start to separate himself on the leaderboard. He calculated a 28 on the front and tried to guess where Woods made par.

"First three? He got off to a bad start. He could be in a slump," Calcavecchia said with sarcasm as thick as the muggy air. "I noticed he made a bogey. I think he's losing it now."

Steve Stricker was along for the ride and more amazed than anyone.

"I was 2 under and I'm 5 down," he said. "You just start thinking, 'Jeepers, what just happened?' He's got a lot of offense, if you know what I mean. You're just waiting for that run of holes, and then he takes off."

The only charitable thing Woods did was keep it a contest.

Leading by as many as 4 shots at one point along the back nine, he went five holes without a birdie to kill off any thoughts of a 59, twice made bogey from the rough and had to settle for a 3-shot margin over Woody Austin.

Woods was at 13-under 127, his best start since he was at 15-under 125 at Firestone in 2000, a tournament he won by 11.

At East Lake, he still has some competition.

Austin had a 65 for the second straight day to get into the final pairing with Woods today, thankful he is still within range. Six players were within 5 shots of the lead on an East Lake course that has never been easier.

"He's not hard to beat if you're playing as well and you're right there," Austin said. "But if you let him get in front of you, like I said, he's hard to catch."

As for the FedEx Cup, it might be time to start wiring that $10 million prize into Woods' retirement account.

Stricker is second behind Woods in the playoff standings but was 9 shots behind him going into the weekend at East Lake. Phil Mickelson needed a victory to have any chance of winning the cup -- and that was if Woods finished worse than second alone -- and he was 7 shots behind through two rounds.

Mercedes-Benz Championship: A late collapse Friday by Lee Westwood helped Soren Hansen take a 1-stroke lead at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Pulheim, Germany, with a 4-under 68.

Hansen finished with an 11-under 133 total, and Westwood had 4 bogeys in the final eight holes for a 73 in windy conditions. Westwood shot a 61 Thursday, tying his career best.

Greater Hickory Classic: Heavy rain forced Champions Tour officials to call off Friday's opening round of the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, N.C.

The first round will resume today at 8 a.m., with the second round expected to begin at 12:30 p.m. The 54-hole tournament's final round is scheduled for Sunday.