Georgia: Unheralded Americans Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley held the joint lead at the end of Friday's second round of the PGA Championship but the battle for the final major of the year remains wide open.
Eight players were within two shots of the lead but there were few big names among them -- Tiger Woods missed the cut along with British Open champion Darren Clarke and 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell.
Instead the 34-year-old D.A Points and 40-year-old Australian John Senden -- both with just one PGA Tour win each -- were among a quartet of players a stroke behind the leaders.
Jim Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open winner and the experienced Scott Verplank, who has seven PGA Tour wins to his name, were also just a shot back on a leaderboard that few would have predicted but which did not surprise the frontrunners.
"There are tons and tons of guys that can play golf out here," said Dufner.
"The (television) networks and the media focus on big names for a reason, that's who people want to see, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, but there are other guys that can really, really play golf out here, who are really good and who you have never heard of," he added.
Loitering with intent, however, are the better known Australian Adam Scott, who shared the lead briefly before suffering a bogey on the 14th and a double-bogey on the difficult final hole, and Britain's Lee Westwood, whose 68 kept alive his hope of his first triumph in a major.
"I'm sort of cruising into position," said Westwood, "71 yesterday was by no means out of it, and then I wanted to shoot something in the 60s today, hopefully to try to get into the red and be in good position for tomorrow."
Scott, winner last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, believes there is every chance of making up the distance.
"With great golf, you can make up a few shots here," he said.
"I'm pretty sure that the guys who are leading and playing well, they also think they can make some more birdies but with good golf you can make up shots".
Overnight leader Steve Stricker's four early bogeys undid much of the good work from his sizzling opening round of 63 but he was still only two strokes off the lead.
TIGER DRAMA
There was plenty of drama, though, from two of the sport's top attractions -- Woods and U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy.
Woods, a four-time PGA Championship winner, shot a three-over 73 to leave him at 10 over for the tournament and heading home early for the first time in this event.
He double-bogeyed the par-four 11th after chipping from a bunker, over the green, into water and suffered another double on the 12th.
Woods ended his round going from sand to water as he bogeyed the 18th and left the course looking tired and dejected after just his second event back after a three month injury lay-off.
"I showed signs that I can hit the ball exactly how I know I can. Unfortunately I just didn't do it enough times," said Woods who remains without a win since 2009.
Woods recorded five double-bogeys in a tournament for the first time in his career and he has plenty of work to do before he returns, according to his schedule at least, at the Australian Open in November.
The attention in the early part of the day was on McIlroy, playing with a bandaged forearm, as he struggled to a three-over-par 73 that left him well behind the leading pack.
The Northern Irishman hurt his wrist on the third hole Thursday and played through pain to finish at even par with his further participation in the tournament in doubt.
However, McIlroy looked more comfortable as he dealt with the challenging Highland course at Atlanta Athletic Club on Friday.
"It was probably tougher mentally more than anything else, trying to get it out of your mind," said McIlroy after a round of three birdies, three bogeys and a triple-bogey on the 17th.
Defending champion Martin Kaymer of Germany finished at five over and missed the cut, along with Australian Jason Day, who after being on the fringe of contention fell apart on his back nine.
India's Arjun Atwal missed yet another Major cut as his second card of 73 was not enough to get him past the halfway mark at the PGA Championships.
Atwal had three birdies and six bogeys in a card that gave him a total of 151, one worse than his friend Tiger Woods, who also missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 73 at the PGA Championships at the Atlanta Athletic Club on Friday.
It was Atwal's fifth missed cut in five starts at Majors since 2004. Next week Atwal defends his PGA Tour title at Wyndham, where he became the first Indian ever to grab a PGA Tour title.
Americans J.B. Holmes (illness) and Rocco Mediate (injury) withdrew from the tournament Friday, along with South African Retief Goosen (illness).
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