GULLANE -- Tiger Woods couldnt get anything close all day except for the one place that mattered at the British Open. His name high on the leaderboard. Woods didnt charge into contention Friday at Muirfield as much as he kept from falling back like so many others. Not only did he go 12 holes without a birdie, he only had two reasonable chances before finally cashing in with a 15-foot putt on the last hole for an even-par 71. It looked even better as the day went on, and more players ahead of him kept dropping shots on the some of the fastest greens at the British Open. When the second round ended, Woods was at 2-under 140, only one shot behind 49-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez. Woods was tied with Lee Westwood (68) and Henrik Stenson (70). He plays in the penultimate group Saturday with Westwood. "Just continue plodding along," Woods said. "Just continue being patient, putting the ball in the right spots. Were not going to get a lot of opportunities out there, but when I have, Ive been able to capitalize. And hopefully, I can continue doing that." It was enough to impress Graeme McDowell, who found himself caught up in watching golfs No. 1 player work his way through the wind. "There will be no surprise to me if hes picking up the claret jug on Sunday night," said McDowell, who also had a 71 and was 4-over 146. "But Im not writing off the rest of the field. Theres quality players there in this field, and Im certainly not writing myself off. But if he continues to play the way hes playing, hes going to be tough to beat." For three hours in the middle of his round, Woods looked like he was trying to hang on. Getting the speed of the green was tough enough after officials hand-watered the greens overnight, making them slower than what Woods faced Thursday afternoon. The real problem was judging the speed of the fairways. Six times he came up short of the greens as he tried to bounce his shots off the firm turf and onto the putting surface. On consecutive holes, Woods finally saw the ball run onto the green and over the back. From just short of the 10th green, he knocked his putt some 15 feet past the hole and made that coming back for par. He was short enough on the 11th that he chipped over a hump about 10 feet by the hole, and missed that putt to make bogey. On the 14th and 15th holes, his shots landed 30 yards short of the green and both times ran off the back edge. He hit a flop shot from mangled grass to 3 feet on the 14th, and he chipped to 5 feet on the 15th. Both times, he saved par. It was hard work, and Woods looked the part. "I was having a hard time to get the ball to chase, and then on top of that, trying to hit the putts hard enough going up the hills," Woods said. "But then toward the middle part of my round, I lost the pace and was blowing it past the hole. But finally got it fixed at the end." The key for Woods comes on Saturday. He had a share of the 36-hole lead last year at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship and fell too far back after the third round to seriously contend. And he has never won a major when he wasnt atop the leaderboard going into the last round. "Im not going to win every major I play in," Woods said. "But certainly I can try and put myself there. If I give myself enough opportunities, Ill get my share. And I think I have so far in my career." McDowell wasnt sure what impressed him more -- the clutch putting or control Woods had of the flight of his irons. Fridays round was played in an opposite wind out of the east, and it led to some significant adjustments. Hit 3-wood off the tee and a 6-iron onto the green at the 448-yard 15th on Thursday. The next day, it was a 5-iron off the tee and sand wedge just over the green. The par-5 17th hole was downwind in the opening round, so Woods hit 4-iron off the tee and 4-iron onto the green. On Friday, he hit 3-wood off the tee and for his approach, leaving that some 50 yards short of the green. As for the driver? That remains a rumour. McDowell said he had to check twice with Joe LaCava, Woods caddie, "that the driver head cover actually had a driver underneath it." "Because it actually hasnt seen the light of day -- not even close," McDowell said. "Hes playing the golf course conservatively, using his iron play to devastating effect. Very impressive. I said to him on the 18th green, That was a clinic the last two days. That was very impressive. Combo that with some great putting, hes going to be dangerous." Woods was asked how many drivers he has hit this week. "Ive hit, I believe, about eight or 10," he said. And then when he was asked where, Woods smiled and said, "On the range." McDowell has seen plenty of Woods over the last few years. He played with Woods in the final group at Bay Hill last year, which Woods won by five shots. He played with him in the final round at Doral this year and made a strong run until Woods won going away. "He was very, very impressive the last two days," McDowell said. "He will not be far away this weekend the way hes playing. Iron play, the flight control that he has in his irons ... he just hits the shot that youre supposed to hit at all times." Running Shoes Cheap Online . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Cheap Running Shoes Online . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. http://www.runningshoescheap.net/ .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Running Shoes Wholesale China . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Discount Running Shoes . JOHNS, N. A decision on whether West Indies allrounder Andre Russell breached the World Anti-doping Agency code by being negligent about filing his whereabouts is likely to be announced by an independent anti-doping tribunal in the next two-three weeks.In March this year, the Jamaica Anti-doping Commission (JADCO) alleged that Russell had failed to file his whereabouts on three occasions in 2015, citing the dates of January 1, July 1 and July 25. Under the WADA code if an athlete fails to file their whereabouts three times in a year, it amounts to one failed doping test. If found guilty Russell could face a maximum ban of up to two years.They have promised a decision I think in the next two to three weeks, but a date would be sent to us shortly, Patrick Foster, Russells lawyer, said after both parties made their final submissions in front of the three-member panel on Thursday in Kingston.During the hearing, which lasted nearly six hours, Foster told the tribunal that Russell had always adhered to the rules and had complied with tests, both at the local and international level. Foster stressed there was confusion in communication about the third filing failure, and Russell could not be penalised for no fault of his.According to the Jamaica Observer, while summing up his arguments during Thursdays hearing, Forster reportedly told the tribunal that if firm evidence of negligence was indeed established and Russell was found guilty then, keeping in mind his history of complying with testing protocols in the past, he ought to be banned for not more than one year.Forster, howeveer, insisted that the evidence presented by JADCO against his client was thin.dddddddddddd Our contention is to prove an anti-doping violation there must be three filing failures, Forster said. And we have said, based on the evidence that they should not be comfortably satisfied that there have been three filing failures; in which case the complaint should be dismissed. Our position is evidence is not sufficient to disclose three filing failures. And if the three cannot be proved the case cannot be made out.JADCOs legal counsel, Lackston Robinson, did not speak to the media but reportedly told the tribunal that Russells failure to file his whereabouts in 2015 could not be absolved by his compliance with tests in various jurisdictions. Robinson specified that the dates by which Russell had to inform JADCO whether he would be filing his whereabouts were December 31, 2014, June 30, 2015 and July 24, 2015.Robinson said that JADCO had no obligation to prove Russells gross negligence. He stated that as far as JADCO was concerned, the case was simple: Russell had to meet the deadlines for filing his whereabouts and he did not comply.Russell, a sought-after player in T20 leagues around the world, has spoken only once since JADCO laid the charge. In July, while playing the Caribbean Premier League, Russell said he found the allegations stressing and depressing. Russell had also missed the T20I series against Pakistan in the UAE in September. ' ' '