Tiger Woods rallies to make first final cut in PGA event in 29 months

SAN DIEGO – These are the new realities for 42-year-old Tiger Woods. He had to grind out a round simply to be able to play on the weekend and is getting used to the "feels" of his surgically repaired back.

Woods didn't have to race off to the airport Friday, after all. He made the cut right on the number in the Farmers Insurance Open by rallying with four birdies on his back nine for a 1-under 71 on the North Course at Torrey Pines.

It's the first time in 29 months that Woods will be playing the weekend on the PGA Tour.

"It was a grind," Woods said a few minutes after walking off the course to cheers. "I fought hard. Typical, you know, just me going out there and fighting for whatever I can get. It's all good."

Ryan Palmer is the 36-hole leader and Jon Rahm is right behind, poised to reach No. 1 in the world.

Palmer finished eagle-birdie on the North Course at Torrey Pines for a 5-under 67. He had a one-shot lead over Rahm, the defending champion who birdied two of his last three holes on the North for a 66.

This is only the second PGA Tour event for Woods since he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. He had two back surgeries that fall, and fusion surgery on his lower back last April.

"Physically healthy?" Woods replied. "Oh jeez, that was probably back in '13."

Thus Woods' frequent mention of the "feels" of his body.

"Totally different feels, because my body's different," he said. "I can't tell you it's the same feel I had then because I wasn't fused. This is a different body."

He started his round Friday on the North Course's par-5 10th and sent his drive 65 yards left of the fairway, forcing him to scramble for a par. He took a double bogey on the 459-yard, par-4 13th. His drive went into the ravine to the left and he took a penalty drop. He missed the green to the left and chipped through the green before two-putting.

That was the worst of it.

Of his four birdies, none was bigger than the last one. He was one shot out of the cut line when he reached the far right side of the green on the par-5 ninth, some 75 feet away. Needing two putts for a birdie, he lagged it beautifully to a few feet short and tapped in.