WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, 4 Jul 2015 (AFP) - Vegas had five birdies with no bogeys for a nine-under-par halfway total of 131. Langley, the overnight leader after a first-round 62, carded a one-under 69 to maintain a share of the lead.
They were being chased by a tightly bunched field, with a group of seven players just one stroke back.
Canadian David Hearn and American Bryce Molder carded 64s to join the group on 132, England's Greg Owen and Americans Chad Collins and Kevin Chappel posted second-round 67s and New Zealand's Danny Lee and American Jonathan Byrd both signed for 69s to complete the group at eight-under.
Six more players were tied on 133, and 10 more were on 134.
Former world number one Woods, coming off a dismal US Open showing at Chambers Bay, avoided missing back-to-back cuts for the first time in his pro career, firing a roller-coaster one-under 69 to head a group on 135 that also included two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson (68).
Woods, who delivered a solid 66 in the first round, made his fourth birdie of the day at the final hole, rolling in a six-footer to get back to under par for the day.
But he also had three bogeys -- all on the back nine at the Old White TPC course.
After a birdie at the second, Woods reeled off eight straight pars before a bogey at the 11th. That was followed by a birdie at 12, a bogey at 13 and a birdie at 14.
After a bogey at 16, Woods was in the water off the tee at 17, but saved par after almost holing a wedge from 98 yards out.
Woods’s 36-hole total of 135 is his best on the US tour since he opened with a 135 at the 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship.
He was tied for 26th -- four shots off the lead.
Leading second-round scores on Friday in the US PGA Tour $6.7 million Greenbrier Classic (USA unless noted, a-denotes amateur, par-70):
131 - Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 66-65, Scott Langley 62-69
132 - Chad Collins 65-67, Bryce Molder 68-64, Danny Lee (NZL) 63-69, Kevin Chappell 65-67, Greg Owen (ENG) 65-67, David Hearn (CAN) 68-64, Jonathan Byrd 63-69
133 - James Hahn 66-67, Scott Piercy 67-66, Robert Garrigus 66-67, S.J. Park (KOR) 68-65, Patrick Rodgers 68-65, Sean O'Hair 66-67
134 - Justin Thomas 67-67, Tom Hoge 68-66, Andres Romero (ARG) 67-67, Brian Davis (ENG) 64-70, J.J. Henry 68-66, Andres Gonzales 68-66, Justin Leonard 66-68, Brendon Todd 65-69, Noh Seung-Yul (KOR) 69-65, Cameron Percy (AUS) 68-66
135 - Pat Perez 67-68, Chris Stroud 66-69, Kevin Na 65-70, Robert Streb 68-67, Bubba Watson 67-68, Mark Hubbard 70-65, Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 64-71, Eric Axley 68-67, Tony Finau 68-67, Bae Sang-Moon (KOR) 68-67, George McNeill 67-68, Tiger Woods 66-69, Morgan Hoffmann 68-67, a-Maverick McNealy 67-68