Woods tied for Target lead

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Colin Montgomerie walked off the 18th green in a tie for the lead with Tiger Woods at the Target World Challenge, and someone told him the tournament was in his hands.

Montgomerie, of all people, knows better.

"It's in Tiger's hands," he said with a smile.

Seven years after they were first paired together in the final group going into the weekend, Woods and Montgomerie established themselves as the front-runners Friday with stretches of great play and minimal mistakes to each shoot 5-under 66.

Montgomerie birdied five of his first seven holes, then had to scramble for a bogey on the 18th hole to salvage a share of the lead at Sherwood Country Club. Woods made five birdies in a six-hole stretch in the middle of his round, but he was disappointed in making only one birdie on the par 5s.

They were at 9-under 133 and were two shots clear of Jim Furyk (68) and Jay Haas (66).

Woods and Montgomerie first played together in the third round of the 1997 Masters, Woods' professional debut in the majors. Woods had a three-shot lead going into the weekend, but Montgomerie felt he might have the advantage having contended in more majors.

It was such a blowout -- Woods shot 65, Montgomerie a 74 -- that the Scot came into the media center at Augusta National without invitation to give his take on the 21-year-old Woods.

"There is no chance -- we're all human beings here -- no chance humanly possible that Tiger Woods is going to lose this tournament," Monty gushed.

Woods, who went on to win that Masters by a record 12 shots, remembers the moment well.

"He basically said I didn't have much of a chance because of my experience level," Woods said. "But I was playing well. I said to Fluff (his caddie at the time), 'He may have said all those things, but he hadn't won a major, either."'

Don't get the idea there is a rivalry between the two.

Woods said they have been friends ever since, and he thinks so highly of Montgomerie that he called him personally and invited him to his Target World Challenge, mainly out of respect to the Scot's awesome Ryder Cup record.

"He outplayed everybody on our team," Woods said. "What he has done is impressive. Plus, don't forget his resume with seven Order of Merits. No one has ever come close to that."

Monty has raved about Woods ever since, although that doesn't change his plans for the weekend.

"He's still intimidating, and that's not criticism; that's a compliment," Montgomerie said. "It is different to play with Tiger. I've just got to concentrate on my own game. I'm not going to beat Tiger. I'm not going to outdrive him, I'm not going to hit better iron shots, and I'm not going to putt better. The only way I'm going to beat Tiger is by scoring well."

That might be the only way to stay atop the leaderboard.

More gorgeous weather in the Conejo Valley produced another round of perfect scoring, and all but one player in the elite, 16-man field broke par.

Montgomerie had the perfect start, splitting the middle of every fairway and dropping his iron shots into 8 feet. He had a chance to shoot 30 on the front until missing a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 8.

Woods started stuffing his approach shots on No. 5, never having to make a putt longer than 10 feet until he was at 9 under and in the lead alone. Woods dropped a shot on the 14th by going over the green, and Montgomerie regained the lead with birdies on both par 5s on the back nine.

"This is the way I played in Japan," said Woods, referring to an eight-shot win at the Dunlop Phoenix last month for his only stroke-play victory this year. "I just didn't play the par 5s very well, or it could have been low."

Montgomerie avoided a big number despite hitting a 7-iron into the hazard on the 18th. He took a drop and hit wedge into 4 feet for bogey. That kept him in a share of the lead, and put him in the last group with an old friend. Divots: Roger Maltbie worked for USA Network the first two rounds, and he was asked how hard it is for someone like Tiger Woods to change his swing. "It's very difficult," Maltbie said. "Some guys change their swing and they never get it back," he said. Then with a laugh, Maltbie added, "With more on that, let's go to Ian Baker-Finch." The '91 British Open champion went through a number of changes and got mired in a deep slump that ultimately ended his career. ... Tiger Woods' swing coach, Hank Haney, was at Sherwood following him Friday. ... Vijay Singh is the only player to make birdie on the 485-yard 11th after two rounds. He shot 69 and was 10 shots out of the lead. ... A birdie on 13th took Kenny Perry to 1 under for the first time this week. Then he played the next four holes in 4 over par.