LA JOLLA, Calif. — The focus of the golfing nation — most particularly the thousands of fans roaming the grounds at Torrey Pines on Friday for the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open — was fixated on one player among the 156 in the field.
Tiger Woods.
Woods was in the midst of a colossal struggle to make his first cut since 2015 and the golf world was holding its collective breath with every fairway he missed Friday (11-of-14) until he finally survived with a testing two-putt birdie from 90 feet away on his final hole to earn his way into the weekend.
Meanwhile, though, while Woods finally making a cut after all that time and a fourth back surgery last April, there were some other big-time players making some big-time noise on the golf course.
Not that anyone noticed.
Ryan Palmer, with barely a small club championship gallery following him, quietly surged to the tournament lead with a 67 on Friday to follow his opening-round 66 and get to 11-under (ahem, 10 shots ahead of Woods).
Jon Rahm, who elevated to No. 2 in the world rankings after his win in the California Desert last week and a lock to get to No. 1 with a win this week in the tournament he won last year, shot a 6-under 66 Friday to get to 10-under.
Right behind Palmer and Rahm are Tony Finau, the opening-round leader, and Luke List at 9-under. Jason Day, former world No. 1, is one of three players at 7-under and in the thick of contention.
And then there’s Phil Mickelson, playing a home game of sorts on a golf course he played on as a youth, right in the mix at 6-under thanks in part to an eagle on No. 13 and a closing birdie on 18.
Great golf all over Torrey Pines, but you hardly would have known it because it seemed like nine-tenths of the crowds were lining every fairway, tee box and green on which Woods played.
The two players who were grouped with Woods the last two days — Patrick Reed and Charley Hoffman — understood the deal. And they embraced it.
“It’s buzzing like crazy — especially if you’re playing with him,’’ Reed said. “If you’re in the fairway you don’t notice it as much, but a day like today when I spent most of the day in the rough, trying to get the crowds to move because everyone’s trying to see what Tiger’s doing, makes it a lot more challenging.
“But it’s awesome to be in events when he’s playing because the place just goes nuts.’’
Hoffman said, “It’s great to see crowds like this again. Unless you’re at a major championship, we don’t see crowds like this. He brings people out here and the crowds were great. There were more people out here today compared to what we’ve been playing in front of.’’
When Woods tees it up at 1:10 p.m. in Saturday’s third round, his new playing partners, Brandt Snedeker and Sung Kang, will feel the effects Reed and Hoffman felt the last two days.
All the while, though, the most significant golf near the top of the leaderboard will go somewhat unnoticed like it has the last two days.
And Palmer, Rahm, Day, Mickelson and the other leaders will carry on about their business of trying to win a golf tournament while Woods tries to rehabilitate his dormant game to the point where being at the top of leaderboards becomes familiar turf for him again.
“I just stayed calm all day,’’ Palmer said. “Momentum is huge. My goal today was come out and try to get the round of the day. Tomorrow the goal will be the same, try to go out and shoot the low round of the day. If I can do that each day, obviously you know where we’ll end up.’’
If that happens, then perhaps people will pay attention to Palmer’s accomplishment.
Same goes for Rahm, who’s chasing that No. 1 ranking a year after being ranked 137th at this time and winning his first career PGA event here at Torrey Pines.
“It’s really fun to be the last person that won here and be playing good again and have a chance to go back-to-back,’’ Rahm said.
“Jon’s playing some spectacular golf right now,’’ Day said.
So, too, is Mickelson, whose popularity is the only in the game that even comes close to rivaling that of Woods.
“I just love playing here,’’ Mickelson said. “It just brings back a lot of great memories. It’s fun to be a part of it and fun to be here on the weekend.’’
Even if no one’s paying attention to the guys at the top of the leaderboard.