Warning shot from Woods

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- He sprayed a handful of drives, was wide with too many approaches, and went off line with putts he normally makes. Yet on a day when the weather improved and the play was muddled, Tiger Woods delivered perhaps the shot of the day at The Players Championship.

It came after he played, so that tells you how his day went.

While Phil Mickelson was on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass putting the finishing touches on an even-par 72 that got him to 5-under-par 139 and one shot clear of Nathan Green (69), Woods was outside the scorer's house offering explanations and observations.

About an indifferent round of 73 that leaves him nine shots back and tied for 59th, Woods simply shook his head and assessed his status: "I just need to play better than I am playing right now."

About comments made a day earlier by first-round coleader Rory Sabbatini -- that Woods appeared "more beatable" than ever -- the world's No. 1 ranked player nodded his head slowly and delivered arguably his only laser of the day. "Well, if I remember the quote correctly, he said he likes the new Tiger," said Woods with a wry grin. "I figure I've won nine of [the last] 12 [tournaments] and I've won three times this year -- the same amount he's won in his career. So I like the new Tiger, as well."

Touché, Mr. Sabbatini.

If it were worth strokes, Woods could have shaved two off his total -- and what he'd give for just such an opportunity, for things at Pete Dye's devilish course continue to go poorly for him. There is a Players Championship win to his credit (2001), but in nine other starts here, Woods has just two top 10s and has been outside the top 20 four times. He's broken par just eight times in 42 trips and is 10 over in his last 10 rounds at Sawgrass.

That is why he talked tepidly, not of dramatic charges, but of baby steps he must tackle first.

"I just need to get myself into red numbers by day's end [today]," said Woods, who has made two birdies in 36 holes, one coming at the par-5 16th to lower him to 4 over, which appeared to be the cut line. It went to 5 over, but no matter. TPC Sawgrass continues to be the source of frustration for Woods, which may explain his glee in responding to Sabbatini's jab.

"I never meant it as a dig at Tiger," said Sabbatini. "I want to compete against him. He is the No. 1 player in the world and I think I have the ability to get to No. 1 in the world and that's why I want to contend."

Trash talk is hardly ever part of the golf landscape, but it did steal a good part of the story line on a day when brilliant sunshine arrived and scoring conditions improved. Whereas 16 players broke par and only four could get into the 60s Thursday, Round 2 numbers improved to 41 and 10, respectively.

Sabbatini, 5 under to start the day and tied with Mickelson, was one of three players without a birdie, though if he were hurt by three consecutive bogeys starting at the par-4 sixth, what crushed him were the two balls he splashed at the island-green 17th, the quadruple-bogey 7, and the ensuing round of 79--146 that sent him spiraling into a tie for 38th, now seven behind.

"It was just a frustrating day," said Sabbatini, whose composure was tested further when he was pressed about Woods's response, "and 17 just kind of put the exclamation mark on it."

Mickelson, who shared the first-round lead with Sabbatini, didn't back up -- but he got it only into neutral thanks to a dynamic eagle at the par-5 16th. A 6-iron from 207 yards came to rest 6 feet away and resulted in one of 13 one-putt greens for the lefthander.

"I played some very poor shots off the tee and didn't give myself very many chances to make birdie," said Mickelson, who in his first 13 trips to this tournament had enjoyed the lead after a round just once. Now, he's in the lead for a second straight day.

Mildly surprising, but not nearly as stunning as who's in second -- the unheralded Aussie, Green, who finished 41st on the money list as a PGA Tour rookie in 2006. He once worked at a crematorium his parents managed, though he offered a disclaimer: "I was out there mowing lawns and gardening; I wasn't lighting matches." After birdies at the par-4 14th and the 16th got him to 4 under and briefly into the lead, Green revealed something else about himself.

Soccer is his real game.

"I just wasn't good enough," said Green, who had broken 70 just twice in his previous 15 rounds. "But I've probably got more of a passion for soccer than I do for golf."

More than likely, his golf interest will pick up today, when he plays alongside Mickelson in the final pairing. Green hasn't won since the 2006 New Zealand Open, Mickelson has not done better than T-3 in The Players Championship, but they have company. Four players -- Sean O'Hair (69), Peter Lonard (72), Carl Pettersson (71), and Rod Pampling (71) -- are tied for third at 3-under 141, just two off the lead, and 24 players are within five of the lead.

As for a guy nine off the lead? Woods was calculating how to get back in it after a day in which his only significant shot did nothing for his score, but everything for his emotions.

As for a guy seven off the lead? Sabbatini tried to set the record straight: "Yeah, well, you know, hey, the thing is, if you're going to challenge yourself, you've got to challenge yourself against the best and Tiger's the best."

He just isn't playing like it.