Woods may not win this year's Masters (he's tied for 15th), but he'll be around for the weekend after delivering a clinic today about how to get into, and out of, lots and lots of trouble at Augusta National.

He shot 2-over-par 74 in the second round to finish at 3 over. Brett Wetterich and Tim Clark are the leaders at 2-under par.

''I turned basically a 90 into a 74 today, which was nice,'' Woods said. ''Yesterday, I threw away a good round. Today, I salvaged a bad one.

''I'm right there in the ballgame.''

Most players who hit the shots Woods did could be packing their bags after a day like this, too. But Tiger just kept grinding. More than grinding, really. More like hitting some spectacular shots to stay well in contention at a dry, windy version of Augusta National that was not giving up good scores.

After playing this tournament in lots of rain over the past few years, maybe this is what the course bosses had in mind when they began an expansion project that has lengthened the course to 7,445 yards over the last eight years.

''They're not going anywhere. Not under these conditions,'' Woods said of his competition. ''They're not going low today.''

Woods said he had an infamous ''two-way miss'' going today, leaving him capable of hitting it left or right and never really knowing which was coming when.

He could also hit it left-handed, as he did on No. 9, after missing into the pine straw on the left and getting stymied up against a tree. He saved bogey there.

And he could hit it short, as he did on No. 12, when his shot landed shy of the green and rolled back into Rae's Creek, leaving him staring at the tee box in disbelief. He had just made bogey on No. 11 to balloon to 4 over, and at that time, it looked like another big number could put him in danger of missing the cut.

He didn't panic, though. Instead of going for the pin after his drop — ''If you put it short, you could be there forever,'' he said — he hit his third shot about 20 feet past the hole. And rattled in the putt to keep double bogey off the card.

''The whole idea is you don't make double at this place,'' Woods said.

He was in position for double again on No. 13, when he dropped his second shot into Rae's Creek. Instead of a big number, though, he chipped to 4 feet and saved par.

Before that, he made one of the most athletic plays of his life when he pulled out of a full swing just before contact on the tee box, distracted by the shadow from a bird flying over his ball.

''Of all the things I've seen him do, unbelievable,'' said Paul Casey, who was in the group with Woods. ''He was fully loaded on the way down and managed to stop himself, which was pretty impressive. I don't know how he didn't break something.''

On No. 15, he blasted his second shot over the green, bending down, putting his hands on his knees and flipping his club aside as he watched the shot sail. He wound up precariously close to the stands and the water — but not in the water. A delicate chip, a putt, a birdie. Problem solved. Again.