Summer has arrived, the second major championship of the year is almost at hand and yet Tiger Woods' game remains very much a work in progress. Woods struggled at times but still salvaged a 3-under 69 Friday in the second round of the Memorial Tournament. At 3-under 141, he easily made the cut. “It was decent today. I hit more good shots today than I did yesterday, and I really putted well today,” said the Memorial's only four-time winner. “It could have been a pretty good number.” That's the thing about Woods, playing for the first time after missing three weeks due to a neck injury. He could have shot a really low score, but he also could have done far worse. That's the way golf is when you've only played 11 competitive rounds all year. He hit only five of 15 fairways and just 11 greens in regulation. He took only 26 putts, though, including several par putts beyond tap-in distance. Steve Stricker, a good friend and No. 4 to Woods' No. 1 in the world golf rankings, played with Woods the first 36 holes of the Memorial. Woods, who started on the 10th hole, birdied three of his first four holes coming to the reachable par-5 15th hole. The US Open looms in two weeks at Pebble Beach, one of Tiger's favorite tracks. Trailing by 10 shots midway through the Memorial, Woods was grateful to make the cut to gain another 36 holes to work on his game. “The more good shots I hit, (it) keeps building,” Woods said. “It's a process.” And the process is far from over. Meanwhile fellow American Ricky Fowler was the clubhouse leader at 13-under. He shot a bogey-free 66 to open a four-shot lead over fellow American Tim Petrovic with half the field back in the clubhouse. Siem shares lead German Marcel Siem shared a one-shot lead after Friday's Wales Open second round in which the Celtic Manor Ryder Cup venue proved the day's real winner. Siem was the first to hit the front on six-under-par 136 with a four-under 67 to be joined late in the day by Australian Andrew Dodt, who posted a 70. The pair lead by a stroke from Dane Thomas Bjorn (68). The top three were among the few who proved immune to mishaps over the Twenty Ten course that will host the match between Europe and the United States in October. Overnight leader Chris Wood of Briton tumbled down the field, five shots off the pace, with three double-bogeys on his card of 76. Scotland's 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie ran up a sextuple-bogey 11 on the long second, using up eight putts as his ball kept returning to his feet from the uphill green. World No. 12 Martin Kaymer of Germany clocked up eight strokes on the par three third, twice hitting into water. While Lawrie missed the cut, Kaymer rallied to card a 74 and make the weekend on two-over 144. Europe's Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie came through the second round relatively unscathed as he posted a 70 to lie only four shots off the lead. Montgomerie, who has had a hand in the course changes, acknowledged how difficult the Twenty Ten course could be as double-bogeys littered the cards. “I heard about Paul and I saw Martin Kaymer put two in the water,” Montgomerie told reporters. “It was a very difficult day. The course has won the first two days here.” World No. 9 Luke Donald also spoiled his day with a double-bogey on the 18th. However, last week's Madrid Masters champion was in bounce-back mode again as he recovered from a first round 75 to equal the course record 65 in moving to two-under. Donald sunk putts of 40, 30 and 25 feet and three putts from 20 feet.
