By Alistair Watkins BBC Sport at Royal Troon

Woods last won a major at the 2002 US Open

Having gone eight majors without a victory, world number one Tiger Woods is desperate to end his "slump" but has so far been unable to reach the heights he achieved at the turn of the millennium.

Woods, wary of the dangers of links golf, was trying to move up the leaderboard in Friday's second round after an ordinary, by his standards, 70 on the opening day.

But it didn't happen, as his baffling inconsistency - this time with the putter - continued to haunt him.

The 28-year-old has a lot more than his reputation at stake this year - his world number one ranking is under serious threat for the first time since he took over some five years ago.

Ernie Els could end Woods' reign if he wins the Open for a second time and Woods finishes no better than 17th.

It's an outside bet, but stranger things have happened, and the South African would like nothing better than to hit the top again.

However, Woods has a goal of his own and would have been reminded of it throughout his first two rounds at Troon.

Greg Norman, one of his playing partners along with Lee Westwood, holds the record for being the top-ranked player for the most weeks, some 331 in total.

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Woods is into his 327th week as number one and could beat the Australian's record next month.

For a while on Friday, it seemed that the presence of Norman and former European number one Westwood was inspiring Woods.

Looking relaxed, Woods soared to three under after birdies at the fourth and sixth. He could have had more but failed to take three other good chances.

Safety-first approach

The 2000 Open champion's restrained style was paying dividends - his driving was safe as he sought accuracy over length in a bid to stay on the narrow fairways.

He was trying to play to his strengths this season - Woods is second in the putting rankings for the PGA Tour but a staggering 158th for driving accuracy.

Strangely, though, it was his putting that let him down as he dropped his first shot at the seventh when his ball circled the cup but refused to drop and missed a birdie at the eighth when the same thing happened.

As he went to the more protected ninth tee, Woods sensed he needed to reignite his challenge and gave the ball the full treatment.

You've got to stay patient out there and that's what I did Tiger Woods Hole-by-hole coverage of Woods' second round

It backfired, however, and he missed the fairway. He ended up dropping a shot after three-putting from just off the green to move back to one under - the score he had started with.

The wheels were in danger of coming off when he missed the fairway at the 10th, but he was able to save par.

Woods, anxious to avoid the numerous bunkers which dominate the back nine, reverted to his safety-first approach in a bid to avoid any further damage.

The inward holes contain enough challenges for any player - even Woods at his prolific best - but the wind was coming directly at him and he knew he did not have to risk anything yet.

Profile: Tiger Woods

Quietly - or as quietly as anybody pursued by enormous crowds can be - Woods got his putter working again to string together nine straight pars for a level-par 71.

Woods is clearly struggling with his game, despite his protestations to the contrary. But he is still in contention, and nobody in this field will be writing him off just yet.