R2 LEADERBOARD -7 C Montgomerie (Sco) -6 D Howell (Eng), J Daly -5 M Calcavecchia, J Furyk, F Funk, S O'Hair, A Cabrera (Arg), T Woods (US unless stated)

After a slow start in misty conditions he birdied the 16th and 17th but he finished with his second bogey of the day to drop to seven under.

Britain's David Howell picked up three shots in his first eight holes and shares second with John Daly.

Tiger Woods (68) is another shot back, while Michael Campbell is one under.

Kiwi Campbell, the US Open champion, leads Montgomerie by �86,000 in the European Tour's Order of Merit, with a maximum of three events left after San Francisco.

Montgomerie began the day three shots ahead but after turning in one-under 34 he recorded his first dropped shot of the week and the cushion had gone.

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He was only able to hack out of the rough with his second at the 10th and then put his third into a greenside trap from which he took three more to get down.

The Scotsman was in trouble again at the 12th after fluffing a chip but he holed an impressive 12-foot putt to save his par.

Having birdied the 16th his tee shot at the following par three pitched in line four feet from the flag and rolled inches away for a tap-in birdie.

At the last his approach went right and after failing to find the green with his first chip he then came up short before holing from six feet for a bogey five.

"I'm glad to get in with a 69," the 42-year-old admitted.

"I'm actually quite tired, the jet-lag is kicking in so I'm glad to get finished. After a 64 any score in the 60s is a reasonable effort.

"My confidence is high and that's what is keeping me going. I'm looking forward to playing at the weekend and seeing how well I can do."

Woods had two birdies, two bogeys and an eagle in his opening seven holes.

The eagle came when he drove the 344-yard par-four seventh, the tee of which had been brought forward slightly, and calmly holed from 10 feet.

Inconsistency continued on the back nine but he almost picked up his fifth birdie of the day when his chip from the fringe at the 18th hit the hole and stayed out.

"I turned a really good round into an okay round," Woods lamented.

Howell turned in three under, picked up another shot at the 17th but pulled his final drive into heavy rough and missed a six foot putt for par.

"I'm delighted with my position," he said.

"I didn't swing the club particularly well the last couple of days so I'm delighted to still be six under par."

The Swindon player admitted that the American golfing public struggle to identify him.

"It doesn't worry me that I fly under the radar over here," he said. "It's slightly surprising when you've played on a winning Ryder Cup team but that's fine.

"I want to be a superstar but I'm not worried if people don't recognise me all the time. I've been with the guys who get recognised all the time enough to know it's a pain in the bum."

Daly eclipsed even Woods in the mammoth hitting stakes, launching one onto the green at the 336-yard 16th.

That gave him his fourth birdie of the round and a second successive 67.