A HOLE LOT OF TROUBLE WOODS DROPS 4 SHOTS OFF PACE AFTER 2ND ROUND ENDS WITH 3-PUTT.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

PACIFIC PALISADES - Tiger Woods' adventures around the 18th green Saturday afternoon cost him more than the eight spots he dropped on the Nissan Open leaderboard at the close of his second round.

Woods three-putted the final hole for a double bogey, which dropped him four shots behind the leaders and put a cramp into his quest to win his hometown tournament for the first time in nine tries. The big number also made it far less likely that Woods will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings.

Rain prevented Woods from starting his third round at 3:55 p.m. Saturday, as scheduled, and inclement weather could wipe out play today as well, which would leave Woods tied for 13th place.

Entering the Nissan, Woods needed at least a fourth-place tie to pass Vijay Singh, who skipped the tournament, in the rankings. Rain could shorten the Nissan to 36 holes, in which case only 75 percent of the usual points would be awarded, and Woods would need at least a solo third-place finish to pass Singh.

Woods spent 264 weeks atop the rankings until Singh passed him in September. Earlier this week, Woods said he didn't pay much attention to his standing in the rankings.

``No, not really,'' Woods said. ``The No. 1 ranking is really not that important to me. It's winning. Winning is how I got to No. 1 in the world. ... You have to win. I have started to put together some wins here. I have won three tournaments of late. It's been cool, and, hopefully, I can continue that trend.''

As Woods stood on the 18th tee, he was tied for fourth at 7-under-par. His tee shot landed in the right rough, his approach shot went long and left, and then he missed a par putt from 9 feet and a bogey putt from 4 feet, after which he stood, frozen in post-stroke position, staring at the hole for several seconds.

After signing his scorecard, Woods offered a don't-bother-me stare to reporters as he walked away. He no doubt was irate with his putting, which cost him two potential birdies on the back nine.

Woods shot a 1-under 70 in the bizarre second round, which ended more than 48 hours after it began. Darkness ended Woods' round Friday in the middle of the fifth fairway, so he actually shot even-par Saturday, with birdies on No. 11 and No. 17 and the disaster on No. 18.

``I'm always excited when I come out to the West Coast, because this is kind of how I grew up putting,'' Woods said. ``But I have never seen the greens this fast before here. They are usually a little more bumpy and a little slower. ... It was kind of shocking, when I played on Tuesday, to see how fast they were, considering all of the rain that they've gotten.''

Woods shot a promising first-round 67 at Riviera Country Club on Thursday, continuing a strong start to the season that included a victory two weeks ago at the Buick Invitational. Woods has finished in the top five at Riviera three times and lost in a playoff the year the Nissan was held in Valencia.

Despite the bright moments Saturday, including a 9-foot putt for birdie on No. 17 that temporarily put him at 7-under, Woods, earlier this week, resisted the idea that momentum was building.

``It's more like day-to-day,'' Woods said. ``You know, shot-to-shot. You do get on rolls, but, still, each day, it's still a little bit different than the others. So that's what makes this game so intriguing and difficult.''

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

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Tiger Woods reacts to a shot on the ninth hole Saturday, but the 18th hole probably left a worse taste in his mouth.

Reed Saxon/Associated Press