Woods leads; Ernie and Immelman three back

Miami - Holder Tiger Woods, back to form with his putter, charged into a two-shot lead with a six-under-par 66 in the WGC-CA Championship second round on Friday.

The five-times winner, four off the pace at the start of another blustery day at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, hit six birdies in a blemish-free display.

That left Woods on seven-under 137, two ahead of Australian Rod Pampling (69).

Ernie Els fired a 70 to lie a further stroke back with fellow South African Trevor Immelman (68), Denmark's Thomas Bjorn (72), Americans Zach Johnson (68) and Charles Howell III (71), Swede Henrik Stenson (73) and Australian Aaron Baddeley (71).

Woods rolled in a curling 11-footer at the par-five 12th to move into a share of the lead for the first time.

After narrowly missing birdie putts on 13, 14, 15 and 16, he moved one stroke clear after a superb recovery from the right rough to 10 feet at the par-four 17th set up his sixth birdie.

As driving rain swept across the Blue Monster course, Woods parred the treacherous 467-yard last by holing a tricky 10-footer after missing the fairway off the tee.

"I hit the ball well today and made a few putts," a smiling Woods told reporters after needing only 26 putts compared to his tally of 32 a day earlier.

"I'm just happy to be up there. It's been a while," added the 12-times major champion, whose last victory came at the Buick Invitational in January.

"It was a little bit easier today, not as gusty and the rain was basically just on 17 and 18. The wind was pretty consistent all day."

Stenson, co-leader on 67 overnight with Australian Robert Allenby, led by two shots after 10 holes before losing momentum.

The big-hitting Swede bogeyed 12 and 13 before regaining a share of the lead at six under after pitching to three feet to birdie the par-four 16th.

But he dropped shots at 17 and 18 to slip back to four under.

"It was another tough day out there," said world number five Stenson, who won the biggest title of his career at last month's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

"I didn't drive the ball as well as yesterday and that put me in some trouble off the tee. But I'm still in decent shape for the weekend."

Bjorn briefly held a share of the lead after reeling off three birdies in the first eight holes before running up a double-bogey seven at the 10th with a three-putt from less than four feet.

"It was really windy on the 10th and I didn't feel very comfortable over the ball," the Dane said after a birdie-bogey finish.

"But these things happen and you've just got to get back and try and steady the ship."