Tiger Woods secured a record-breaking 24th consecutive cut at The Masters after overcoming a marathon Friday and tough conditions to make it through to the weekend at Augusta National.
Woods was one under after 13 holes when play was suspended due to darkness on Thursday, after storms had caused a two-and-a-half-hour delay earlier in the day, leaving the former world No 1 having to return early on Friday morning to complete his round.
The 48-year-old bogeyed two of his remaining five holes in cool conditions to see him post a one-over 73 and leaving him eight strokes behind clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau, with Woods only having around 45 minutes to rest before being sent back out for his second round.
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Woods then battled a tiring body and strong winds to post a level-par 72 and extend his streak of never missing the cut at The Masters as a professional, beating the record of 23 consecutive cuts at the event previously jointly held with Gary Player and Fred Couples.
"It means I have a chance going into the weekend," Woods said. "I'm here. I have a chance to win the golf tournament. I don't know if they're all going to finish today, but I'm done. I got my two rounds in. Just need some food and some caffeine and I'll be good to go."
Woods makes history at Augusta
It was the first time that Woods has been required to play more than 18 holes in the same day of a competitive tournament since the 2019 Zozo Championship, the last of his 82 PGA Tour titles, with the 15-time major champion continuing to impress in just his seventh start since November 2020.
Woods opened his second round with two-putt pars on his first two holes, then undid an eight-foot birdie at the third by failing to get up-and-down from behind the par-three fourth green and dropping back to one over.
He responded to finding a fairway bunker off the fifth tee and carding a second successive bogey by making a chip-in birdie at the next, then recovered from a blemish at the seventh by taking advantage of the par-five eighth.
Woods found trees off the ninth tee but made a good save to reach the turn in 36, then scrambled to continue his par streak until he went long with his approach into the 14th to bogey the hole for the second time of the day.
A two-putt birdie at the par-five 15th gave Woods a buffer heading to the closing holes, where he safely two-putted the par-three next and slotted in from six feet to save par at the 17th before securing his spot with a brilliant up and down at the last.
"I'm tired," Woods added. "I've been out for a while, competing, grinding. It's been a long 23 holes, a long day. But Lance [Bennett, caddie] and I really did some good fighting today, and we've got a chance.
"I was forced to get up-and-down a few times today and I was able to do that. A lot of those chip shots I was able to get up-and-down because I left it in the perfect spot, and that's understanding how to play this golf course. Probably the only exception was the spot I put myself in on 14. Most of the up-and-downs I was in a perfect spot."
Woods made the cut in last year's contest before having to withdraw due to injury ahead of the final day, with the challenge now being to get himself physically ready to complete 72 holes in a major for the first time in two years.
He has only completed four rounds on three occasions since February 2021's car crash - the 2022 Masters, last year's Genesis Invitational and December's Hero World Challenge - with warm weather over the weekend enhancing his hopes of adding to that tally.
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