CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) - Instead of charging, Tiger Woods got in trouble on his first swing of the day at the British Open.

Woods yanked his opening shot into the Barry Burn, looking on in disbelief as the ball dribbled into the ominous, meandering stream, and limped to the midway point of today’s second round with a seven-shot gap between him and leader Sergio Garcia.

The world’s best player has plenty of work to do if he wants to become the first in more than a half-century to win a third straight Open championship.

K.J. Choi, who has two PGA Tour wins in the last two months, was making the most spirited run at Garcia. The South Korean got to 3-under for the round with two holes to play, pulling within one shot of the leader.

Garcia followed a brilliant 6-under 65 with a workmanlike 71, sinking the sort of testy putts that have bedeviled him through his career.

"I managed to not make many mistakes," he said. "I didn’t play as well as yesterday, but I was quite consistent."

Not so for Woods.

After opening with a 69, he stepped to the first tee with an iron in his hand, intending to play if safe on the 406-yard hole. The burn curls in front of the fairway, then fades away down the left side - not much of a threat unless a player really messes up.

Woods did, his right hand flying off the club as a course worker frantically waved behind him, signaling the ball was heading left. Way left.

It bounced a few times and hopped into the creek.

Woods managed a weak, pitiful smile and slowly shook his head as he looked at his yardage book. He needed a do-over and wound up with a double-bogey 6 on the hole, a grim start to a 3-over 39 on the front side that knocked him off the leader board.

Phil Mickelson wasn’t anywhere close to the lead. In fact, Lefty was in danger of heading home after a 77 sent him beyond the projected cut line.

"I thought I was playing a lot better than this," moaned Mickelson, who has only one top-10 finish at the Open.

After making seven birdies yesterday on a course that reduced him to tears eight years ago, the emotional Garcia settled for a nice, solid round on Day 2, which began under ashen skies but morphed into a brilliantly sunny afternoon along the North Sea.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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