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Pumped-Up Kruger Puts Tiger in The Shade
Mud, Sweat and Cheers as Tiger Lurks in Malaysia
Pumped-Up Kruger Puts Tiger in The Shade
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26, 2012 (AFP) - South Africa's Jbe Kruger said he wanted to play with Tiger Woods every day after upstaging the American legend with a "dream" round at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia on Friday.
Kruger, ignoring big galleries, soaring temperatures and the intimidating presence of the 14-time Major winner, put together a brilliant 64 at the par-71 Mines Resort & Golf Club, overshadowing Woods's 67.
"I'm always pumped up," insisted the small, slight Kruger, 26, who strode the course with vigorous intent and now lies second, two shots off leader Robert Garrigus.
"Just to shoot anything, level par, anything, was a dream. It was pretty cool," he added.
"I think playing with him definitely made me concentrate a bit harder. That is one thing I've been lacking the last couple of months. So I think I want to play with him every day."
Kruger, from Bloemfontein, has won three tournaments so far in his career -- compared with Woods's 74, the second biggest haul in history.
He said his round "definitely" went better than he could have dreamed, and had already done wonders for his self-belief.
"You've proven yourself probably against the best golfer that's alive at the moment. And to have played with him is pretty cool," he said.
Kruger shot 66 on the first day, despite damaging his eight-iron and being unable to use it for much of his round -- a handicap he blamed for a double bogey on the last hole.
"I got it fixed, and I actually used it once," he said of the club. "Yesterday I probably would have used it six times after I bent it. So you know, Murphy's Law."
And he said he hoped to continue his hot form into the weekend at the US$6.1 million event, which is co-sanctioned by the US PGA and the Asian Tour.
"I think I'll probably just try to do the same. I've been playing well. I can't really play much better than I am at the moment," Kruger said. "The key is to hit the fairways, hit the greens, and take it from there."
Mud, Sweat and Cheers as Tiger Lurks in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26, 2012 (AFP) - Tiger Woods battled through mud and scorching temperatures to stay in contention with a fighting 67 at Malaysia's CIMB Classic on Friday, leaving him five shots off leader Robert Garrigus.
The 14-time Major winner mixed slices off the tee and errant putts with great escapes and a memorable chip-in, in a rollercoaster round watched by hundreds of loyal fans at the par-71 Mines Resort and Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.
A day after raising the prospect of a 59 at the venue, softened by Malaysia's regular heavy rain, Woods was overshadowed by playing partner Jbe Kruger, who ignored the crowds and heat for 64 and second place, two off the leader.
America's Garrigus carded his second 64 in a row for 14-under-par 128, raising hopes of only his second ever US PGA Tour win, with a low-scoring weekend in prospect at the no-cut, 48-man event with a US$6.1 million purse.
Kruger was alone in second with Greg Chalmers and Troy Matteson, the overnight leader, two shots further back. Woods, Brendon de Jonge and Kevin Na were grouped on nine under par.
"It's wet, it's a little bit muddy. It (low scoring) can be had out there, guys are shooting good scores, a bunch of 65s and lower today," Woods said.
"It's going to take a really low total (to win). I've just to get after it tomorrow so at least I'll have a chance on Sunday."
Woods had headed straight for a cold shower after sauna conditions in round one, but if he thought Thursday was hot, Friday was a furnace.
"That's one of the hard things. You've got to just somehow suck it up and do it," he said of the heat, forecast to again hit 32 degrees Celsius (90F) over the weekend.
"It was bothering everybody I think. It's hot out there and humid... There's just no wind here. It's just so still and heavy."
With sweat dripping from his head as early as the second tee, Woods mirrored his first day by opening with two pars and then birdying the par-five third, where a 12-foot eagle putt went begging.
Drama struck on the fourth hole as Woods sliced his tee-shot into trees and then watched as his recovery attempt lodged at the bottom of a steep, muddy, lakeside bank just inches from water by the green.
But in a tough escape, Woods took a difficult stance and hacked the ball, along with clods of mud, onto the green and two-putted from 20 feet for bogey.
Woods drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the next hole, and missed an 18-foot opportunity on the sixth -- but holed a memorable chip for birdie on the par-three seventh.
A birdie on 11 gave him a share of fourth, and he seemed to have conjured more heroics after another sliced tee-shot put him into undergrowth on a steep slope on the par-four 12th.
Woods grabbed his fairway iron and blasted to near the green, and then chipped to four feet -- but watched in frustration as the short par putt rolled just wide.
Meanwhile, round partner Kruger, who had seized the joint lead with a run of six birdies, also bogeyed 12, but then the South African hit back with birdies on 13 and 17.
Woods made a six-foot save on the 14th, and he surged back up the leaderboard at the 15th, where a 20-yard eagle chip bounced out of the cup and left him with a simple three-footer for birdie.
Another birdie on the par-five 17th, and a missed eight-foot attempt at the last, left him five shots off Garrigus, whose lead was slashed by a disappointing bogey on the final hole.
"I'm two shots ahead of the field right now. That means nothing," Garrigus said. "I'll probably be tied for the lead or behind before I get on the tee box tomorrow. That happens a lot.
"I've just got to go out and have fun, enjoy it and see what happens."
Scores after round two of the CIMB Classic, co-sanctioned by the US PGA and Asian Tour, at the par-71 Mines Resort and Golf Club on Friday (USA unless stated):
128 - Robert Garrigus 64-64
130 - Jbe Kruger (RSA) 66-64
132 - Troy Matteson 63-69, Greg Chalmers (AUS) 66-66
133 - Brendon de Jonge (ZIM) 68-65, Kevin Na 67-66, Tiger Woods 66-67
134 - Brian Harman 64-70, Jeff Overton 64-70, Ben Crane 68-66
135 - Kevin Stadler 67-68, Bill Haas 70-65, Pat Perez 67-68, Martin Laird (SCO) 68-67, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 72-63, Charlie Wi (KOR) 69-66, Bo Van Pelt 70-65, Tom Gillis 65-70, Chris Kirk 69-66
136 - Nick Watney 71-65, J.B. Holmes 66-70, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 69-67
137 - Ryan Palmer 69-68, Ricky Barnes 66-71, Bob Estes 69-68, Anirban Lahiri (IND) 71-66, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 72-65, Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 65-72, Noh Seung-Yul (KOR) 71-66, Jimmy Walker 69-68
138 - John Senden (AUS) 72-66, John Huh 70-68
139 - Johnson Wagner 70-69, Prom Meesawat (THA) 70-69, Kyle Stanley 69-70
140 - Masanori Kobayashi (JPN) 69-71, William McGirt 70-70, Jason Dufner 68-72, Cameron Tringale 71-69, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 70-70
141 - Danny Chia (MAS) 66-75, David Lipsky 68-73, Sean O'Hair 69-72
142 - Marc Leishman (AUS) 75-67
143 - Scott Piercy 75-68
147 - Shaaban Hussin (MAS) 74-73, Scott Hend (AUS) 70-77, Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 73-74