2010 Bridgestone Invitational, Second Round: Tiger Woods Doesn't Miss The Cut, Because There Isn't A Cut

After Friday's Round 2 of the Bridgestone Invitational, Retief Goosen sits at the top of the leaderboard, while Tiger Woods finds himself near the very bottom.

Goosen's 7-under score for the tournament is good for sole possession of first place. Close behind are Justin Leonard and Phil Mickelson. Mickelson would hold the lead entering Round 3 were it not for an unfortunate double-bogey on the 14th hole.

Meanwhile, noted golfing enthusiast Tiger Woods is experiencing yet another disappointing tournament. He followed up his Round 1 score of 74 with a 72 on Friday. This puts him in a tie for 72nd place, a distant 13 strokes behind the lead.

Here is how the top of the leaderboard looks entering Round 3:

1. Retief Goosen (-7 for tournament)
T2. Justin Leonard (-6)
T2. Phil Mickelson
T4. Peter Hanson (-5)
T4. Bo Van Pelt
T4. Bubba Watson
T7. Adam Scott (-4)
T7. Nick Watney
T7. Lucas Glover
T7. Miguel Jimenez
T7. Paul Casey
T7. Matt Kuchar

You can follow the live leaderboard here. For more on the Bridgestone Invitational, check out SB Nation's golf blog, Waggle Room.

Lee Westwood will withdraw from both the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational and next week's PGA Championship due to injury, according to SI's Gary Van Sickle (via Waggle Room).

Westwood was clearly struggling through the first two rounds of Bridgestone as he dealt with a ruptured plantaris muscle that has been plaguing him for weeks now. Westwood -- who had a chance to leapfrog to the top spot in the world golf rankings past Tiger with a strong finish at the Bridgestone -- was nearly in last place, at 7-over for the tournament (a shot behind his playing partner Woods).

Westwood had managed to gut out a second-place finish at the British Open despite his physical ailments, but told reporters that "it just seems to be getting worse" and 'there's no strength in it" at this point. Westwood says that he'll require about six weeks of rest to recuperate -- which means he should be healthy just in time for the Ryder Cup.

For more on Westwood and the Bridgestone Invitational, check out Waggle Room.

Tiger Woods' grip on the world No. 1 golf ranking has been in jeopardy for months. At both the U.S. and British Opens, Phil Mickelson could have passed Woods if Lefty had managed to win either of those events, coupled with a sub-par outing from Woods. But as Tiger's struggles have mounted as the season has gone along, the threshold for Mickelson (and one other) to leapfrog him has lowered, to the point that Woods is unlikely to hold onto the spot after the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational.

Going into the Bridgestone Invitational -- an event Woods has utterly dominated, winning seven out of ten starts at Firestone -- two golfers had a realistic shot of passing Woods: Mickelson and Lee Westwood. Lefty needed a top-four finish, paired with Woods not finishing in the top-37; while Westwood would have claimed the spot if he finished at least second, Mickelson did not win, and Woods placed outside of the top nine.

Tiger's implosion through the first two rounds at the Bridgestone has certainly opened the door for him to lose the top ranking. Unfortunately for Westwood, he's been even worse, shooting a 7-over to Woods' 6-over through the halfway mark of the tourney, placing them 74th and 76th respectively. Mickelson, however, is poised to knock off Woods. After a 4-under round on Thursday put him in second place, Mickelson has maintained his position on Friday. Mickelson is 2-under at the turn on his second round, which has kept him in a tie for second place at 6-under overall, a shot behind leader Retief Goosen. If Mickelson can maintain this spot during the weekend, the world No. 1 spot will likely be his.

Woods refused to speak to reporters after his disappointing second round. Lee Westwood for his part told reporters:

Neither one of us played very well, did we? We are human. We all have bad days. What can you do? Cry?

Woods has held the No. 1 spot for 270 weeks; he last lost it to Vijay Singh in 2005. Mickelson, meanwhile, has never been ranked No. 1 at any point in his career.

It was another disappointing round for Tiger Woods at the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational, on a course he has historically dominated. Woods' 2-over 72 during Friday's second round doesn't look so bad, but relative to the field, it wasn't nearly enough to get back in contention. Luckily for Woods, there is no cut at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods recorded five bogeys and three birdies in total, bringing him to 6-over on the tournament. Woods is thirteen strokes behind the current leader, Retief Goosen, who's pacing the field at 7-under.

Woods' 6-over puts him in a tie for fourth-to-last place, a shot ahead of Lee Westwood. Even more disturbing for Woods is that this frustrating play is coming on a course he has utterly owned in the past; Woods has won at Firestone seven times prior. After a similarly disappointing finish at the friendly confines of St. Andrews at the British Open, Woods is sure to face increasing questions about the state of his game. This is the latest he has ever gone starts-wise into a professional season without winning a tournament.