Woods in position to break Masters record for made cuts

AUGUSTA, Georgia : Tiger Woods was on the brink of making more history at Augusta National as he held steady in tricky conditions to put himself in position to earn a record 24th consecutive made cut at the Masters on Friday.

The five-times Masters champion fired an even-par 72 on a windy but picture-perfect day of unbroken sunshine to sit one over par on the week and comfortably inside the projected cut line of five over par.

Barring a dramatic change, Woods is likely to sit alone atop the Masters record with one more consecutively made cut than fellow Masters champions Gary Player and Fred Couples.

Coming into the Masters, Woods had played just 24 holes of competitive golf this year given his physical limitations and he faced a daunting 23-hole test of endurance on Friday after his opening round was suspended on Thursday due to darkness.

And so, less than an hour after finishing the final five holes of his first round, Woods went back out hoping his injury-ravaged body, including the ankle he had fused last year, would hold up on a hilly and taxing Augusta National layout.

But the greatest golfer of his generation, who has nothing left to prove and believes he can still win a 16th major, not only appeared comfortable but showed plenty of artistry on a course he knows better than anyone in the field.