ATLANTA - The Tour Championship suddenly is loaded with optimism for Jay Haas and Tiger Woods.
Haas turns 51 next month, making him the oldest player to qualify for the All-Star event. For those wondering when he will start playing with guys his age, Haas again showed no signs of slowing down with 4-under 66, giving him a two-shot lead over Stephen Ames.
"If I was 50 and sitting at home, nobody would be talking about me," Haas said of the constant references to his age. "I'm just glad I've got a parking spot out there and they let me tee off this week."
The way he finished Friday - a par save from 60 feet in a bunker, followed by a 12-foot birdie on 18 - Haas looked as if he might be able to end an 11-year, 276-tournament winless streak.
"It's way too early to get too excited about it," said Haas, who was 7-under 133. "But I haven't done it with smoke and mirrors. I've played solid golf, and that gives me encouragement for the weekend."
Woods has been hammered all year for changing his swing. His only victory came at the Match Play Championship in late February. And with Vijay Singh dominating, Woods has become a forgotten man.
That changed Friday when he made two birdies with stunning recovery shots, never came close to bogey and matched his best score of the year, 6-under 64 that left him three shots behind.
"There are risks to getting better," Woods said. "I've always taken risks to try and become a better golfer, and that's one of the things that's got me as far as I have."
Woods got into contention with two exciting shots. One was a 6-iron off pine straw that he hooked under a tree to within 20 feet for birdie on No.5. The other came on the 16th, the toughest hole at East Lake, where he hit an 8-iron from 203 yards over the pine trees to 12 feet.
U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen shot 66 and joined Woods at 4-under 136.
Singh has some catching up to do if he wants to end the year with 10 victories. The 41-year-old Fijian took 35 putts on a cool, breezy afternoon and shot 73, ending his streak of 14 rounds at par or better. That left Singh in 17th place among 30 players, seven shots out of the lead.
Almost as impressive as his score was the way Haas finished. The final three holes are among the toughest at East Lake, and they knocked Mike Weir and Zach Johnson off the leaderboard.
Weir was 6 under and in the lead until a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish. Johnson was 5 under at 16, when he hit an air ball with his wedge from behind the green and made triple bogey.
Haas has accomplished about all he could have imagined in the two years since his career got fresh legs. He played on the Presidents Cup team last year. He became the second-oldest player in the Ryder Cup in September at Oakland Hills. He became the oldest player at the Tour Championship, for the top 30 players on the money list.
The only thing missing is a trophy.
"Obviously, I have not won. I would sure love to do it," Haas said. "I dream about it."
LPGA: Annika Sorenstam started her quest for a fourth consecutive Mizuno Classic title with eagle and held a share of the lead after the first round in Otsu, Japan. The top-ranked Swede carded 63 and was tied with Chihiro Nakajima at 9-under. Sorenstam had seven birdies in a bogey-free round, while Nakajima shot 30 on the back nine - including six birdies. The pair was three strokes ahead of Rachel Teske and Bradenton's Aree Song. EUROPEAN PGA: Angelo Que shot 6-under 66 to take a three-shot lead after the second round of the inaugural Vietnam Masters in Hanoi. Que was 8-under 136. Former U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin had bogey-free 68 to join Jerome Delariarte, Boonchu Ruangkit and Thaworn Wiratchant in a tie for second place, three strokes back.
RULING: A judge has ordered a shipbuilder to stop using Tiger Woods' name and a photograph of his luxury yacht Privacy for financial gain. After Woods sued the company for breach of contract, U.S. District Judge William Zloch issued an order that said Christensen Shipyards Ltd. has consented to a preliminary injunction stopping it from disclosing information about the 155-foot yacht and using or displaying Woods' name and likeness for any purpose. Attorneys for Woods sued in federal court Oct.29, claiming his contract with the shipyard barred the boat manufacturer from using the golfer to promote the company, but it did so anyway. A hearing is set for Monday.
FUTURES: Brittany Lincicome of Seminole and Paula Creamer shot even-par and earned co-medalists honors at the tour qualifying tournament in Lakeland. They finished the four-day event at 279.
