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Tiger enters the weekend with a four-stroke deficit after shooting 73 on Friday.
PARAMUS, N.J. -- Tiger Woods faltered with four back-nine bogeys Friday but remains in contention in The Barclays at warm and tree-lined Ridgewood Country Club. He finished with a 2-over-par 73 and is tied for 14th at 4-under 138, four strokes behind leader Jason Day.
For the second consecutive day, Woods hit 13 of 14 fairways in regulation and found 13 of 18 greens. But after using 27 putts Thursday, he took 33 on Friday.
"I hit the ball just as good today as I did yesterday," said Woods. "But I didn't putt well at all. I didn't have the speed at all on the greens. I was leaving it way short or blowing it by the hole. Couldn't figure out the speed. When the greens get this bumpy, you have to hit pure putts, and I wasn't hitting the ball -- wasn't rolling the ball good enough for them to go in."
The tournament is the first of four PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. Woods entered the week 112th on the points list and will need a good weekend to qualify for the second event next week, the Deutsche Bank Championship. He will participate if he qualifies.
Woods, who opened The Barclays with a 65 to share the first-round lead with Vaughn Taylor -- the first time he has led a tournament since winning the JBWere Masters last November -- started strong again Friday. A late 10th-tee starter with Cameron Beckman and Troy Matteson, he birdied the 467-yard, par-4 11th hole with a four-foot putt.
Woods followed with six straight pars, then birdied the par-4 18th hole for the second day in a row. He knocked his approach shot from 178 yards five feet below the cup and made the putt to make the turn in 2-under 34.
The back nine was a struggle. Woods missed his first green of the round at the 190-yard, par-3 second hole, the ball carrying over the back of the green. A photographer clicked a camera during his chip shot, and the ball scurried 25 feet past the hole. He two-putted for a bogey.
"Luckily, I flinched, I went back on it and threw the club down at the same time to hopefully make contact," Woods said. "Luckily, I didn't fight it or blade it, but she timed it well."
After pars at the third and fourth holes, Woods decided to lay up short of the green at the 290-yard, par-4 fifth hole, a hole he drove Thursday. With 79 yards remaining on his second shot, Woods spun a sand wedge just off the front of the green and took three to get down, missing a 21-inch par putt.
"It was a tough tee shot for me," he said. "I had to take something off and hit it in the air. Not an easy thing to do with a driver.
"Pin was back. I had to take something off of it and cut it. I didn't feel comfortable doing it. I laid up and trusted my wedge game and unfortunately, I three&-putted."
What happened on the short putt?
"Ball was sitting in the hole, I could see it," said Woods. "I was trying to hit up on it and hook it like I normally do. I didn't do it. I blocked it. Exact opposite of what I was trying to do."
Woods also bogeyed the 471-yard, par-4 sixth hole. After a good drive, he hit a poor approach shot from 149 yards short-right of the green, came up 19 feet short of the cup on his chip from thick rough and two-putted.
At the par-4 seventh, Woods hit a nice second shot from 180 yards that wouldn't hold the green, rolling into the back rough. He chipped three feet short of the hole and made the par putt.
Woods two-putted the par-3 eighth hole, then closed with a bogey on the par-4 ninth. He drove into the left rough, came up short of the green with his approach shot, then chipped five feet beyond the hole and missed the par putt.
"I hit a couple loose iron shots," Woods said.
While Woods wasn't thrilled with his finish, he was encouraged with his ball-striking and is looking forward to a productive weekend.
"Absolutely," he said. "I didn't hit it bad at all. I hit it really good. As I said, I didn't putt really well. It goes to show you no matter how good you hit it, if you don't putt well -- I hit as good as I did yesterday. If I don't make putts, I don't shoot scores."
Woods is scheduled to tee off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday with Heath Slocum.