FORMER world number one Tiger Woods celebrated the likelihood of keeping a proud record alive in the Players Championship - and then insisted he could still win a third title at Sawgrass.
Woods had not missed the cut in 16 previous appearances in the so-called 'fifth major', although he has withdrawn twice through injury, but looked in danger of an early exit with one hole to play yesterday.
However, the 39-year-old birdied the par-five ninth, his final hole, to card a round of 71 and get back to level par for the tournament, one shot inside the current predicted cut mark.
Woods began the day one-over par after finishing his opening 73 with a double bogey on the 18th and endured another rollercoaster round with five bogeys and six birdies.
A birdie on the par-five 11th, his second hole, was followed by bogeys on the 12th and 13th before birdies on the 15th and 17th took Woods to the turn in 35.
For the second day running he badly hooked his tee shot on the first - it was measured at just 171 yards - and made bogey, but bounced back with a birdie on the par-five second.
A bogey on the fourth was cancelled out by a birdie from 25-feet on the fifth before a dropped shot on the seventh looked set to prove costly, but Woods knew what he needed to do and the fist pump after he holed from nine-feet on the ninth told its own story.
"It was probably to make the cut on the number," Woods said of his reaction. "I figured it was probably not going to go to one over. We knew that playing the last couple of holes I needed to make birdie on one of the last two holes and I did.
"I haven't got a lot out of my rounds. Each round I should have been probably a few under par. I just need to start capitalising on my opportunities."
At level par Woods was eight shots behind pacesetter Kevin Na, who added a 69 to his opening 67, with South African Branden Grace and Canada's David Hearn also in the clubhouse on six-under.
World number one Rory McIlroy was among the later starters and was looking to continue his excellent form on the back nine after battling to the turn in 36 to remain three-under, before back-to-back birdies at 11 abd 12 put him only three shots behind Na and one behind the group in second, who were joined by Ben Martin, Rickie Fowler and Scott Brown.