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Tiger Woods on the cut line after second-round 71 at TPC Sawgrass

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Tiger Woods reflects on a missed opportunity after a second round one-under 71 at the Players Championship.

Tiger Woods made the halfway cut with nothing to spare at The Players Championship after firing a one-under 71.

Woods, who hit only five fairways on day one but scrambled hard to salvage a 72, put together a steady, but unspectacular second round featuring just one bogey and only two birdies as he closed right on the projected cut line.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 11:  Tiger Woods of the United States reacts on the 11th green during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Image: Tiger Woods missed a series of good birdie chances in his second round

But playing partner Phil Mickelson will have the weekend off, although he did restore some pride with an excellent front nine that was too late to repair the damage of his expensive finish on Thursday evening, when he dropped seven shots in four holes.

And two costly late mistakes from Rickie Fowler saw him miss the cut, with back-to-back double-bogeys undoing all his fine early work in which he got himself to three under for the tournament with four holes to play.

during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Image: Huge galleries followed Fowler, Mickelson and Woods at TPC Sawgrass

Woods' accuracy off the tee was a vast improvement, but the putting frustrations he endured at last week's Wells Fargo Championship resurfaced as he failed to convert four birdie chances from 15-foot range over his first six holes.

The 42-year-old finally got a putt to drop for birdie at 16, but he missed from 10 feet for another at the next and then slipped back to level par when he blocked his approach to the 18th into a tricky lie to the right of the green and was unable to get up and down.

during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Image: There was not much room to watch Woods teeing off at the 17th

Another great chance went begging at the second, although he lifted himself with a confident stroke for birdie at the third and then had issues getting the ball close to the pins over the next five holes.

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Woods almost had a bonus when a long-range putt lipped out at the eighth, and his par at the long ninth rounded off another day of frustration for the former world No 1, who insisted his biggest fault was with his approach play.

"I didn't hit the ball close enough today," he said. "I didn't get off to the start I wanted to. I had sand-wedge on 10, reachable par-five at 11, sand-wedge again at 12, and I played those even par. That's not the start I wanted to have and unfortunately kind of went the rest of the day the same way.

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"I didn't quite swing it right today, and I didn't quite have the shape or ball flight. I didn't have much of what I wanted. With these greens as soft as they are, I didn't take advantage of the opportunities I had today to really shoot a good number.

"My speed on the greens was fine, I had good touch with my speed, I just didn't quite read them exactly the best a couple times. But I wasn't close enough, I didn't hit the ball close enough and in the right section.

Woods still maintained he was not out of the tournament, and he added: "I've got to shoot something in the mid-60s both days to have a chance. Hopefully I'll give myself some more looks. I feel like I'm putting well, I'm just never inside that range which I should be with the irons I'm having."

during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Image: Mickelson and Fowler see the funny side despite both missing the cut

Mickelson, who made three double-bogeys in four holes in his opening 79, saw his chances of making the cut effectively end when he carved his tee shot to the short 13th into water and ran up a five.

But, after turning in 38, the left-hander rallied and made four birdies in five holes on the front nine, although he then faltered down the stretch for the second day running as he closed out a disappointing event with three straight bogeys to slump to eight-over par.

during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 11, 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Image: Fowler's ball lodged up a pine tree at the sixth

Fowler, the third member of the fan-favourite threesome, was nicely placed on three under - five under for the day - when he followed a back-nine 34 with three birdies in four holes from the second.

But the 2015 winner then pushed his drive too far right at the sixth and suffered the misfortune of his ball appearing to get stuck up a tree, forcing him back to the tee and leading to a double-bogey six.

Fowler then compounded the error by pulling his next tee shot into the water, resulting in another double-bogey, and that left him too much to do to avoid a missed cut as he signed for a 71, closing on one-over par.

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