July 18, 2003

SANDWICH, England (AP) -- Davis Love III was the only player under par at the 132nd British Open on Friday. He had a 1-under 143 midway through the tournament, grinding out a 72 that was good enough to seize the lead.

England's Mark Foster, playing his first British Open, was the only other player at even par, though he still had to get through a treacherous back nine that brought a lot of players to their knees.

Love, who has never seriously contended in his favorite major, struggled after the turn with three bogeys, but two of them were the kind that help win tournaments on courses like this.

He made a nice up-and-down from a deep pot bunker at No. 10, then sank a testy 12-footer after needing two shots to escape another of those devilish traps.

"I felt like I threw away a lot, but I saved a lot," Love said. "It was a day to grind it out."

Another shot to remember: An errant drive at 14 was heading out of bounds, but it struck one of the white out-of-bounds markers and deflected back into play.

"That was three good bounces used up in one hole," Love said.

As the skies over Royal St. George's brightened and the wind off Sandwich Bay subsided, the field began to sort itself out.

If Tiger Woods is to win, he'll have to overcome some devastating miscues and the memory of last year's British Open, when he was two strokes back heading to the weekend and shot 81 on a stormy day. It's still his worst round as a pro.

On Thursday, Woods knocked his very first shot into the rough -- and never found the ball. He had to tee off again and wound up taking a triple-bogey 7, putting himself in a deep hole before he barely had time to say fish and chips.

Woods bounced back for a 73, making two late birdies, and carried that momentum into the second round as he sought to snap an 0-for-4 losing streak in the majors.

This is the first time since 1999 that he doesn't hold any of the major titles.

At No. 2, Woods stuck a wedge within 4 feet of the flag and sank the birdie putt. He reached the green in two at the fourth, a short par-5, and two-putted for another birdie. An 8-footer at the seventh pushed him into the red numbers for the first time, but he gave back a stroke with an errant wedge at the ninth.

Woods began the day five strokes behind Hennie Otto, an obscure South African who had to play a 36-hole tournament earlier in the week just to qualify.

Otto, a part-timer on the European tour, didn't do well with the lead. He bogeyed the first hole, finished with a 76 and was passed by some more familiar names.

Love was coming off a 69 in the first round, making him one of just five players to break par. Greg Norman also shot 69, but he wasn't able to turn in another surprising performance.

The 48-year-old Shark, playing just his third tournament of the year on the same course where he won the 1993 British Open, soared to a 79 and faded from contention.

Thomas Levet was turning in another impressive performance at the British Open, where he lost to Ernie Els in a five-hole playoff last year. A three-putt bogey at 13 was damaging, but the Frenchman was just three back after a 73.

The biggest charge was by England's Mark Roe, who made the turn at 31 to surge onto the leaderboard. S.K. Ho of South Korea, a regular on the Japan Tour, shot 73 and was two strokes behind Love.

Otto, a part-time player on the European tour, began to fade with a double bogey at No. 9. He drove into the rough, came up well short of the green with his second shot, then flew a wedge over the green.

What about that other South African?

Els went from 78 -- his worst round ever at the British -- to 68, at least giving himself a chance to defend his title this weekend.

"I have a smile on my face," Els said after getting a hug from his 4-year-old daughter, Samantha. "I worked very hard. I played very well in stages. I've got to get the putter a little warmer, but I'm not complaining."

Els has a penchant for regrouping. At the Masters in April, he opened with a 79, shot 66 the next day and wound up finishing sixth.

"I've got to play well, and hope for the best," he said.

Taking advantage of the calmer morning conditions, Els left himself with makable birdie putts on the first seven holes. Only two of them dropped in the cup, costing him a chance to go even lower.

At No. 7, especially, Els was kicking himself. A booming tee shot left him a short iron to the green, but he chunked the ball into the front bunker. Clearly disgusted, he stood in the middle of the fairway with a hand on his hip.

Forced to settle for par, Els threw the putter underhanded to his caddie, who managed to snag it with one hand.

"You always think you can do better," he said. "But my patience level was pretty good. It's easy to lose it after a hole like that, but I stayed with it."