AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods didn’t need it, but Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Steve Stricker, Luke Donald and amateur Patrick Cantlay – to name a few – did.

What was it? The 10-shot rule.

After two rounds, the Masters cuts to the low 44 players and ties and anyone within 10 shots of the lead. That meant Woods slid in on his own (147, T-40) while the others needed those two shots of grace to make the cut at 5-over 149.

Sixty three players in all made the cut.

Stricker and Bradley shot 77s, but eased in at 4-over 148 along with Fowler and Donald. Cantlay shot 78, but made it at 149.

Who didn’t make it?  Among others, former Masters champions Mike Weir, Jose Maria Olazabal, Larry Mize and Tom Watson (151) , Bernhard Langer and Rory Sabbatini, who both shot 80s Friday and finished at 152, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa (153) and Darren Clarke, who shot 81 and finished at 154.

Redington/Getty Images

Patrick Cantlay is playing in his first Masters after finishing runner-up at the U.S. Amateur.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Patrick Cantlay’s professional career will come. For now, he’s just trying to enjoy his days as an amateur while he still can. After all, the latter carries some perks, like getting to stay in the Crow’s Nest at Augusta National.

The UCLA sophomore is playing in his first Masters after finishing runner-up at the U.S. Amateur. Per tradition, he’s sharing the Crow’s Nest with U.S. Public Links winner Corbin Mills and Kelly Kraft, who beat Cantlay to win the U.S. Amateur last August at Erin Hills.

“Coming in on Sunday night, I came in late and no one was around,” Cantlay said. “We are the only three staying up there this week. It's not too crowded or anything. It’s really special waking up in the morning and seeing the place empty. It’s pretty cool.”

By the time Cantlay tees off Thursday at 11:52 a.m. ET with Ian Poulter and 2007 Masters champ Zach Johnson (another tradition is pairing amateurs with past champions), he’ll have logged at least eight rounds at Augusta National. None, however, will be as special as the first.

Cantlay played that day with his father, grandfather and member Jim Hoch. He doesn’t even remember what he made on the first hole, but he remembers being awed by the size of Augusta National.

“On TV, it looks really tree-lined and narrow,” Cantlay said. “But out here you can see all the other holes and it feels open, especially 9 and 18 greens when there are no people or grandstands. There’s no framing other than the bunkers.”

The undulations in the greens also stood out -- “You can’t see any of that stuff on TV,” he continued. “A lot of the greens are big on paper and in real life are not very big. Your landing areas are very small. That was the biggest shock coming here. I've adjusted pretty well, and I feel comfortable coming into the greens.”

He’s certainly looked it, at least in his limited appearances in the pro game. In his first four appearances on the PGA TOUR last year, Cantlay finished in the top 25 each time, which included a tie for 21st at the U.S. Open at Congressional and a tie for 24th a week later in Hartford, where he shot a course-record 60 in the second round.

Cantlay added that he’s not worried about turning pro at the moment, “because if I stay really engaged in the present, then the future will take care of itself.”

For now he’ll just try to stick to a piece of advice fellow Southern Californian John Cook gave him: “Golf is just golf no matter where you're playing, Long Beach City Amateur or the Masters. Either way, it's still get the ball in the hole as fast as you can.”

PGATOUR.COM will be streaming interviews live from the media center at Riviera.

Tuesday, Feb. 14
Sergio Garcia - 3:30 p.m. ET
Kyle Stanley - 6 p.m. ET
Ernie Els - 7 p.m. ET

Wednesday, Feb. 15
Fred Couples - 12:30 p.m. ET
Phil Mickelson - 12:45 p.m. ET
Patrick Cantlay - 1 p.m. ET
Andy Walker and Jason Gore - 2 p.m. ET
Luke Donald - 3 p.m. ET
Adam Scott - 3:30 p.m. ET
Aaron Baddeley - 5:30 p.m. ET

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay is going to the British Open under a new qualifying category for golf's oldest championship.

The Royal & Ancient said Wednesday that the winner of the McCormack Medal as the No. 1 player in the world amateur golf ranking at the end of the amateur season earns an automatic spot in the British Open. That change is effective for 2012, when the Open will be played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Cantlay, the low amateur at the U.S. Open and runner-up at the U.S. Amateur, won the McCormack Medal this year as the top-ranked amateur. He already has earned exemptions to the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2012 for reaching the championship match at the U.S. Amateur. – Associated Press

SAN MARTIN, Calif. – Tiger Woods is making his first appearance in the PGA TOUR’s Fall Finish this week at the Frys.com Open. The Californian tees off at 3:10 p.m. ET with Louis Oosthuizen and UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay. PGATOUR.COM is in the scene for the first round and we’ll provide live coverage all day.

Feel free to give us your comments, and check back often to see the most recent updates.

TIGER’S ROUND ONE: Scorecard | ShotTracker

8:01 p.m. ET: Just like the 17th, Woods had a look from just over 12 feet and missed it, this time on the left edge. He had hit a perfect drive with a 3-wood and was left with 117 yards. He tapped in for par and his round of 2-over 73, then told Golf Channel’s Roger Maltbie it was “one of the worst putting rounds I’ve ever had.”

7:45 p.m. ET: Another look at birdie, another missed putt -- this one from just over 12 feet as Woods had to settle for par on the 350-yard 17th (also this week’s Kodak Challenge hole). Woods has made just one putt over 6 feet today and in all has taken 25 putts in all.

7:29 p.m. ET: So much for that birdie giving Woods any sort of positive momentum. He just nuked his tee shot on the par-3 16th over the green and into the rough. He’s hit just seven greens today. On the upside, he pitched to just 4 feet and made the putt to save par with the ball going all the way around the hole and in. Still, at 2 over Woods is going to have some work to do in these last two holes and tomorrow.

6:59 p.m. ET: Woods’ drive at the 15th hole, the 568-yard par 5 which is being the most generous of the day, was accompanied by urgings of “stop, bite” and the ball cooperated, staying on the left side of the fairway.

Woods’ second shot found the front of the kidney-shaped green and just trickled off, leaving him a pitch for eagle. The ball stopped about 5 feet short of the hole and Woods made it – just his second birdie of the day and the first since the opening hole. He’s 2 over now as he heads to the final three holes.

6:43 p.m. ET:  The par-4 14th hole is playing 470 yards on Thursday. Woods has made it more difficult on himself, too, as his drive veered into the right fairway bunker, leaving him 226 yards to the hole.

Woods hit a solid shot out, though, and the ball landed just short of the green. Woods chipped to 3 feet and made the putt for another par.

6:28 p.m. ET: Woods shook off the frustration from the last hole and found his fourth fairway at the 13th hole. His second shot landed on the green but couldn’t find the same plateau as the pin, rolling back down the slope to about 15 feet. He two-putted for par.

Tiger's taking huge divots with some of his iron shots. After a replay of LaCava replacing one particularly large chunk of grass, Nobilo remarked: "The last time I saw something that big, it had four legs."

6:12 p.m. ET: The 12th hole is a beast of a par 5 at 605 yards. The rain has begun to fall in earnest, as well, which makes the conditions even more difficult.

Woods’ drive veered into the left rough, leaving him 359 yards to the green, and his second shot disappeared into the hazard. After much discussion with his new caddy, Joe LaCava, Woods took his drop and hit his fourth shot down the left side of the fairway.

Woods had 114 yards to the pin for his fifth shot. The ball caught the upslope on the green and slid away from the hole, leaving him about 42 feet for his bogey. He hit a good putt that stopped about 3 inches left of the hole so Woods made double bogey.

He’s now 3 over for the day.

5:48 p.m. ET: Woods was as interested as the many fans in his gallery at No. 11 after his tee shot at the 236-yard par 3 went tracking to the hole. The ball landed about 4 feet away for a potential birdie. His putting, though, clearly continues to trouble Woods as he sent the ball across the top of the cup and ended up with a par.

As Tiger stood over the short putt, TV analyst Roger Maltbie mentioned that it was a very simple putt. "I'd be very surprised if he weren't to hole this," he said. After Woods missed, Maltbie just said, "Wow."

5:45 p.m. ET: The wind is picking up to the 15-mph range and the skies are ominous here at CordeValle. With bad weather looming, Tiger has gone to the rain pants.

5:30 p.m. ET:  Woods made perhaps his best swing of the day at No. 10 but wasn’t rewarded. The ball traveled 314 yards but snaked into the left fairway bunker. He had 119 to the hole but came up short and right, landing on closely mown grass near a native area. Another missed green and another missed fairway.

Woods’ chip checked up and stopped about 12 feet short of the hole.  He finally made a putt, though, and came up with a much-needed par save.

WATCH: Woods saves par at No. 10

5:15 p.m. ET: Woods drew a chorus of “whoos” as he hit his drive 306 yards into the distance at the par-5 ninth -- but the ball strayed into the right rough. Not to worry, Woods hit his second shot back into the fairway and the third landed 5 feet, 8 inches from the pin.

Woods missed the birdie putt, though. He just seems confounded by the speed and break of the greens here, which isn't surprising given that he played the lightning-fast Institute on Tuesday. These greens are much slower and Woods is struggling with the speed.

Cantlay, meanwhile, made his birdie attempt from 10 feet to turn 3 under.

5:03 p.m. ET: TOUR rookie Andres Gonzales, who's been having fun on his Twitter feed this year trying to arrange a practice round with Tiger Woods, just told the Golf Channel: "I don't know if he has any clue who I am." Gonzales opened with a 69 that left him two shots off the lead.

4:48 p.,m. ET: Woods finally found another fairway, confidently reaching down to grab his tee as the ball flew through the air at No. 8. He had 178 yards to the hole and chose an 8-iron but the approach was disappointing, landing about 45 feet right of the hole. At least it was a green in regulation – his first since the opening hole.

As wild has Tiger has been, his mood has been pretty even-keeled so far despite hitting it nothing like he did on the range. He left his first putt 2 feet, 9 inches from the hole and made it for par.

4:45 p.m. ET: All three players find the green at the seventh hole, a 166-yard par 3. Two-putt pars from outside 20 feet send them to the eighth hole with Cantlay 2 under and his two professional playing partners holding steady at 1 over.

4:31 p.m. ET: Another drive; another fairway bunker. Woods has 182 yards to the green. He takes a 6-iron and it trickles off the front edge but he’ll have another potential birdie opportunity from 33 feet.

The first big roar of the day? Well, it wasn't for Tiger. Cantlay, who won a collegiate event at CordeValle last year, rolls his putt in from 35 feet just off the green to move to 2 under. And according to the 19-year-old, the rough was longer then.

Woods’ putt comes up 5 feet short but he makes it for his par.

4:20 p.m. ET: Woods chose a 3-wood off the tee at No. 5, a 454-yard par 4, and proceeded to “fat” it – not unlike he did during THE PLAYERS last year.  The divot was probably 6 inches long.

Woods had 213 yards to the green – which was about 50 yards shorter than Oosthuizen, who is not exactly a long hitter -- and his 5-iron rolled onto the back fringe. Woods left his birdie putt on the high side and tapped in for another par.

Cantlay then proceeded to make his first birdie of the day on a 12-footer.

WATCH: Tiger's tee shot at the fifth hole

4:07 p.m. ET: Woods’ tee shot at No. 4 found the left rough. He missed the green, as well, but chipped to within 2 feet, 4 inches for his first par of the day.

Four holes, one fairway, one green. Basically Woods' game has been as all over the place as his scorecard. He nearly hit it in the hazard off the tee on No. 4 -- the skies opened up just as he teed off -- but he made a nice recovery from the side-hill lie.

And in case you were wondering, Oosthuizen and Cantlay are even for the day. The steady amateur has made four pars while Oosthuizen bogeyed the first and birdied the second.

4:03 p.m. ET: Ernie Els was just interviewed on Golf Channel. When asked about Tiger's presence at the Frys.com Open this week, he said: "It's great for the TOUR, great for the Fall Series and great for the tournament." Mentioning that Woods went to college just up the road at Stanford, Els said, "He feels very comfortable here."

Like Woods, Els is playing in his first Fall Series event. He opened with a 69 that left him two shots off the lead currently held by Brendan Steele. Els is reunited this week with his long-time caddy Ricci Roberts, who he said is like a brother to him.

3:45 p.m. ET: Woods’ tee shot has strayed left and bounced over the green on the third hole, a par 3 playing about 30 yards shorter than its measured 230 with the tees up. He has 15 yards to the left hole location. The chip stops just 3 feet, 1 inch from the hole but Woods can’t convert – watching in frustration as the ball does a horseshoe and refuses to fall. Woods is now 1 over.

“I’m not liking what I’m seeing so far,” Golf Channel analyst Mark Lye says. “That divot was going 30 yards left of the target.”

3:35 p.m. ET: The second hole wasn't as kind to Tiger. He hit his tee shot to the right and the ball landed in the middle bunker in a cluster of three.  He then hit his approach into a trap short of the green, leaving a lengthy bunker shot of 25 yards.

Things only got worse from there with Tiger leaving it in the sand before pitching out to 3 feet, 2 inches to set up a bogey. Woods is now back to even par – but on the upside for Woods, no one else in the group is under par, either.

Woods has now hit into 25 bunkers in his last 38 holes.

3:25 p.m. ET: It was an impressive opening hole for Tiger. After busting his drive up the left side, Woods stuck a wedge to near kick-in distance just behind the hole to set up an easy birdie from 3 feet, 4 inches on the 422-yard par 4.

Before teeing off, Woods' coach Sean Foley said if Woods could take the shots he was hitting on the range this morning to the course, look out. It's only one hole, but Woods was near perfect.

WATCH: Tiger birdies the opening hole

3:10 p.m. ET: Woods was second off the tee after Oosthuizen. He addressed the ball and then backed off, looking grimly over towards the crowd and likely eyeing a trigger-happy photographer. He composed himself,  stood back over the ball and proceeded to hit a low draw down the left side of the fairway.

Woods, who hit it 279 yards, outdrove Cantlay by 4. The UCLA sophomore is playing in his fifth PGA TOUR event this summer and has finished 24th or better in each one.

Minutes before Woods teed off, Golf Channel’s Frank Nobilo put the day in perspective. “I’ve got to take the words from Sean Foley,” Nobilo said. “He used the phrase,’This isn’t a return to golf for Tiger, it’s a new start.’”

Woods has never played in the Frys.com Open but the veteran, who has been practicing in South Florida for the last eight weeks, should be used to the terrain and the cool weather in the Bay area after attending Stanford.

2:45 a.m. ET: Woods just made his way over to the putting green, where again the gallery is two and three deep -- remember this is also the first time Woods is playing here. The first two putts Woods took? He jarred them from about 15 feet. As much trouble as he's had with the driver or even his iron play at times, the putter is what's plagued him the most this year.

2:15 p.m. ET: Tiger Woods has arrived at the range here at CordeValle, where the temperature is only in the 50s with clouds and scattered showers in the area. Woods is wearing a white long sleeve mock turtleneck under a blue sweater vest. Behind Woods is his coach Sean Foley, who has his ever present camera with him to record Woods' swing.

One thing is clear: Even though Woods has fallen to 51st in the world -- he's the fourth-highest ranked player in the field -- he's still the main draw. The line of fans along the railing at the driving range is three and four deep.

Tiger Woods is making his first appearance at the Frys.com Open and PGATOUR.COM will have live hole-by-hole coverage of his first round this afternoon in the TOUR Report.

Woods, who is competing for the first time since he missed the cut at the PGA Championship two months ago, will tee off at 3:10 p.m. ET with Louis Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 British Open, and UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay.

PGATOUR.COM will chronicle their rounds in a live blog. Check back frequently for updates. 

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

SAN MARTIN, Calif. -- The biggest thing amateur Patrick Cantlay has taken away from the handful of PGA TOUR events he’s played in this year is confidence and a sense of belonging.

Cantlay

“It's nice coming out here and not feeling intimidated as much as I did,” Cantlay said Wednesday at the Frys.com Open.

That comes in handy when playing with the former No. 1 player in the world, which is what the world’s top-ranked amateur did on Tuesday at the nearby Institute.

“He was real cordial and real nice, and we joked around a little bit out there and had a good time,” Cantlay said of practicing with Tiger Woods, who he is paired with for the first two rounds of the Frys.com Open.

Cantlay, a sophomore at UCLA who is playing in his fifth TOUR event of the year, has reason to be confident.

He’s finished in the top 25 in all four starts, which included a course-record 60 at TPC River Highlands on his way to a tie for 24th at the Travelers Championship. His best finish of the year was a tie for ninth at the RBC Canadian Open three weeks later. He also won a college tournament at CordeValle last year.

Woods, meanwhile, missed the cut in his last appearance on TOUR at the PGA Championship then failed to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup for the first time in his career.

As for what Cantlay expects playing with Woods, he said he’s looking forward to the opportunity -- though he’s not sure if he’ll wear the same UCLA hat he wore on Wednesday (Woods went to rival Stanford).

“It'll be a great time out there,” he said. “I'm not sure what hat I'm going to wear yet. I haven't decided, but it's going to be a cool day out there, and I'll really enjoy it.”

SAN MARTIN, Calif. -- Tee times for the first two rounds of this week’s Frys.com Open. Here’s a look at some of the notable groups. Let us know which groups you’re most interested in following.

CLICK HERE FOR TEE TIMES

Four starts, four top-25s. Those numbers are impressive when you take into consideration the fact they come from Patrick Cantlay, the 19-year-old amateur who will be a sophomore at UCLA this fall and on Sunday closed with a 69 to finish his week even par.

It all started at the U.S. Open, where Cantlay was the low amateur tying for 21st. A week later at the Travelers Championship, he held the 36-hole lead after a course-record 60. He struggled the last two rounds, but he still finished in a tie for 24th.

Then at the AT&T National in what was his fifth straight week of competitive golf going back to the NCAA tournament, Cantlay tied for 20th.

In Vancouver, Cantlay closed with rounds of 68 and 69 for what will be his best finish of the year. Not a bad way to spend a summer vacation.