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Getting out to a fast start was critical for Tiger on Saturday.
NORTON, Mass. -- Tiger Woods knew he needed a good round Saturday in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship to survive the cut and advance to next week's BMW Championship, the third event of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. He delivered.
After opening with a disappointing, 1-over-par 72, Woods fired a near-flawless 6-under-par 65 -- matching his low round of the season -- to clinch a place in the last two rounds and move up to a tie for 29th.
Woods also shot 65 last week in the first round of The Barclays and tied for 12th.
"It was a clean card today," Woods said of his six-birdie, no-bogey outing. "Could have been a little bit lower. I missed a few out there, but overall, with the wind blowing like this -- it's a little bit swirly and a little bit gusty -- I feel very pleased with the number I was able to post."
He entered this week 65th on the FedExCup points list, and the low 70 move on to the BMW Championship. His chances didn't look good after Friday's 72, with Woods stuck in a tie for 87th in the 99-player field. He said he needed a fast start Saturday, and that's exactly what he produced.
After bogeying four of the first six holes Friday on the back nine, Woods birdied four of the first seven on the front nine Saturday. He made the turn in 4-under 32, despite missing four birdie putts from 18 feet or closer.
"I just felt better today," Woods said. "I just felt more energetic and ready to go."
An early starter with Australians John Senden and Michael Sim, Woods two-putted the par-5 second hole for birdie from 25 feet. He added another at the 298-yard, par-4 fourth, flopping a sand wedge five feet from the cup.
Woods just missed a seven-foot birdie attempt at the par-4 fifth but came right back at the par-4 sixth, where he knocked his short approach shot from 236 yards to within nine feet and made the birdie putt.
He carded his fourth birdie at the par-5 seventh. After driving in the fairway, Woods hit his second shot in the left rough, then wedged to 11 feet and converted the putt.
At the par-3 eighth, Woods drove into the left greenside bunker and blasted to eight feet, then sunk a key par-saving putt to maintain his momentum. He gave himself a decent birdie opportunity at the par-4 ninth, where he two-putted for a par from 17 feet.
"The first six holes were nice," he said. "I didn't miss a shot. To start off that way, that was nice because I hit three poor shots there at 7, 8, 9 but then got them right back."
On the back nine, Woods two-putted for pars from long range on 10 and 11. At the par-4 12th, he missed a good birdie chance from 12 feet. But Woods didn't let it bother him, sinking a 22-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th.
Woods parred the next four holes, making a good par-save at 14. He also missed birdie attempts of 15 feet at No. 15, six feet at No. 16 and 19 feet at No. 17.
But Woods closed out his round in style. At the par-5 18th, he hit a good drive, knocked his second shot from 246 yards just over the green and wound up making a two-foot birdie putt.
Woods' goal starting out the round was to shoot 63. Had a few more putts fallen, he would have reached his target.
"I had to shoot a good one if I was going to move, and I was able to do that today," he said .
After leading the field in driving accuracy last week, Woods struggled Friday, finding only six of 14 fairways. He was much sharper Saturday, hitting 79 percent in regulation.
Woods also wasn't happy with his first-round putting, having used 29. He turned that around Saturday, finishing with 27.
"The only bad putt I hit today was at 16," he said. "I just blocked that one. But other than that, I really rolled it well today."
He also flourished on the par-5s, playing the three on the course a combined 3-under.
As for the holiday weekend, Woods just wants to keep giving himself good birdie chances and refine his new swing.
"Continue building what I'm building on," he said. "Each and every day, I'm trying to build on what I'm working on, and it takes time. I'm pleased that yesterday I was able to turn it around after a poor start, figure out what changes I need to make in my swing, and I did that, and that continued today."
Woods will begin his third round Sunday morning at 11:20 with Ernie Els off the first tee.