Golf: Tiger slips back after one-over 71

Tiger Woods looks on after his tee shot at the 17th during his second round at Firestone.

• Tiger Woods shoots one-over-par 71 in second round of WGC event at Firestone
• Former world number one hit by a double bogey on the sixth but cards four birdies
• First round leader Adam Scott shoots a 70 to go into clubhouse on eight- under
• Rickie Fowler and Ryan Moore also on 132 after fine second rounds in Ohio

• Tiger Woods
• Rickie Fowler
• Adam Scott
• Rory McIlroy

(CNN) -- Tiger Woods' challenge on his comeback to competitive golf stalled Friday as a one-over-par 71 at the Firestone Country Club left him trailing the leaders in the World Golf Championship tournament.

The former world number one was hoping to take closer order after a promising first round two-under 68, but could not match his first day consistency.

Woods, playing his first event in three months after being troubled by knee and Achilles problems, started on the 10th tee and all was well until sloppy play on the 14th and 15th cost him a pair of bogeys.

But Woods hit back in typical fashion by hitting approach shots to 10 and six feet on the next two holes to set up birdie opportunities he duly took to go back to two under.

His back nine followed a similar pattern as he dropped a shot on the par-4 fourth but immediately retrieved it with a birdie on the fifth.

Tiger's return draws large galleries in Ohio

A double bogey on the par-4 sixth, where he fluffed his recovery from a green side bunker, saw him back to level par, but Woods showed his fighting qualities with his fourth birdie of the round at the next.

He parred home to finish on one-under 139 at halfway.

Woods has won the tournament in Akron seven times, but will have ground to make up on the early pacesetters, who were first round leader Adam Scott and Americans Rickie Fowler and Ryan Moore

Australia's Scott, employing Woods's discarded caddie Steve Williams on his bag, carded a level-par 70 for eight-under 132, dropping a shot at the last.

Earlier, young hopeful Fowler shot a superb six-under 64, while Moore had a 66 to also go to eight-under after two rounds.

U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, who carded a first round 68, was among the afternoon starters in favorable scoring conditions.

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