DORAL, Fla. --- Tiger Woods holed a birdie putt from 50 feet across the 12th green at Cog Hill. He twice nearly lost in the early rounds of match play, making 90 feet of putts against J.B. Holmes and getting a second chance when Aaron Baddeley missed a 12-foot eagle putt on the 19th hole.

And at Bay Hill, Woods made a 25-foot putt on the final hole that his caddie said had a 1-in-15 chance of dropping.

Even greatness in golf requires good fortune, and Woods had plenty during his latest winning streak.

That ran out at Doral, and so did a streak that began in September. Woods didn't make anything on Saturday, when he fell five shots behind Geoff Ogilvy , and he didn't make enough on Sunday and Monday, finishing two shots behind.

CUTTING BACK: Jim Furyk already has played eight times, and he now embarks on the busiest time of his year. Furyk said he will have no more than one week off at a time through the end of the Tour Championship, held the last weekend in September, which has made him determined to cut back.

But where?

He is playing New Orleans because he does not want a two-week break before the Masters Tournament. His favorites are Hilton Head, Colonial, Memorial and the Buick Open, and there are can't-miss events such as Wachovia, The Players Championship and AT&T National.

SWITCH-HITTING SCOTT: Adam Scott impressed many observers by playing a shot left-handed out of the bushes at Doral on the 17th hole of the second round.

He took the club all the way back to parallel and advanced it 50 yards.

Apparently, he's quite good with a driver, too.

Swing coach Butch Harmon tells the story of Scott playing a practice round with Phil Mickelson at East Lake, asking to try Lefty's driver on the 14th. He striped it, leaving him only 20 or so yards behind Mickelson.

Harmon kicked Scott's ball forward so that it was nearly 10 yards ahead of Mickelson.

Suffice to say, Mickelson was surprised.

Even better, Harmon waited about four months before he told Mickelson what had happened.