Tiger Woods answered every challenge with a brilliant display of power shot-making on a hot, windy day at Hazeltine to seize a commanding four-stroke lead after 36 holes of the U.S. PGA Championship.
Woods, up by one after an opening 67, burst out of a four-way tie with back-to-back birdies from the sixth and quashed a late challenge by Briton Ross Fisher with three birdies in a row to post 70 for a seven-under total of 137.
Five players were tied for second on three-under 141 -- holder Padraig Harrington of Ireland (73), two-time winner Vijay Singh of Fiji (72), U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (70), Australian Brendan Jones (70) and Briton Ross Fisher (68).
Fisher birdied three of four holes from the 14th to surge into a tie with Woods on five-under, but the world number one shifted into high gear and the 28-year-old Englishman bogeyed his last two holes to drop back.
Woods played some spectacular golf sandwiched inside a bogey start and bogey finish. He took five on the par-four first hole after driving into the left rough and lost a stroke to par after an errant approach on the 18th.
The 33-year-old Woods, seeking a fifth PGA crown to match the record held by fellow Americans Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen, made three birdies in a row from the 14th to set himself up for the second half of the championship.
Woods drove through the green at the 299-yard par-four 14th and two-putted from 22 feet. At the the par-five 15th, he hit his second shot through the green, chipped up close and made another birdie. At 16, he sank another 20-footer to bolster his lead.
