SAN DIEGO – Tiger Woods salvaged a potentially disastrous day to remain in contention on a course where he has a history of making up ground.

The seven-time Farmers Insurance Open champion began his day with a birdie opportunity from 25 feet at the first. Four putts later he was closer to the cut than the lead and scrambling.

“It’s just poa [grass]. I tried to ram it in the hole and it bounced, and hit obviously a terrible third putt, pulled it. The second putt, it's just what happens on poa. I tried to take the break out and it just bounced,” he explained.

Woods rallied with birdies at Nos. 6, 8, 9 and 10 to move to 5 under for the week. Although he bogeyed the 17th hole for a 1-under 71 he remained tied for 17th and six strokes off the lead.

In 2007 at Torrey Pines, Woods was tied for 12th place and seven strokes off the lead after 36 holes before closing with rounds of 69-66 to win by two strokes. He managed an even more impressive rally in 1999 when he was tied for 36th after two rounds and nine strokes back.

“I shot 62-65 on the weekend [in 1999 to win by two shots],” Woods said. “If you make the cut on the number here, anything can happen on the South Course, especially the way it's playing now. It's so much more difficult and I think so much more volatile because of the fact that if you shoot a good round out here on the South, you'll move up the board.”