Poor putting lets Tiger down at Pebble Pro-Am

REUTERS - Tiger Woods was betrayed by his putter as he carded a second successive 68 at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am to finish Friday's second round six strokes off the early lead.

Playing his first event on the 2012 PGA Tour, the former world number one mixed four birdies with two bogeys on the Monterey Peninsula Shore Course, the easiest of the three venues being used this week.

Woods found 16 of 18 greens in regulation as early morning sunshine gave way to a mixture of mist and rain but he totalled 33 putts before ending the day at six-under 130, six behind pacesetting South Korean Charlie Wi.

Having putted well and driven the ball superbly during his four-under opening round at Spyglass Hill on Thursday, Woods was looking to go much lower on the Monterey Peninsula layout to claw his way up the leaderboard.

Watched by huge galleries, he made a fast start, hitting an exquisite approach to six feet at the tricky par-four opening hole and coolly sinking the putt to get to five under.

The 14-times major winner struck another pinpoint approach to similar range at the par-four second but his birdie attempt surprisingly horseshoed out of the cup.

Woods made his first mistake of the day at the par-four fourth, finding a fairway bunker off the tee and missing a 10-foot par putt to slip back to four under.

However he birdied the par-five sixth, where he narrowly missed an eagle putt from 10 feet, and the par-three seventh to reach the turn in two-under 32, five strokes off the lead.

Though Woods birdied the par-five 12th after laying up in two and hitting his third shot to within two feet of the cup, he bogeyed the par-four 16th to slide back to six under.

Two more pars followed as he failed to make up any further ground on the leaders.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Julian Linden)