“Tiger’s known for shoving stuff down people’s throats. And he’s certainly doing that now.”

Golf writers overcame circa 2001 Internet access issues to file columns on Tiger Woods taking the midway lead at the Australian Open.

Bob Harig for ESPN.com on Tiger's impressive 67:

Until Friday at the Australian Open, Woods had not led a tournament since the Masters; he had not led after a round since the Chevron last December. And it had been since the 2009 Australian Masters -- his last victory, almost two years to the day -- that he led after any round of a full-field event.

So nobody is scurrying to the balcony just yet looking for fire trucks.
But something about this does seem different.

Robert Lusetich analyzed the round and featured this insight from Tiger's slowpoke playing partner Jason Day.

He didn’t bite. At least for now.

But Jason Day, the young Australian who played alongside him, understood the significance of the past two days.

“Tiger’s known for shoving stuff down people’s throats,” he said.

“And he’s certainly doing that now.”

Day, who’s only two shots behind Woods, was in awe of what he’d seen from his boyhood idol.

Rex Hoggard writes about Tiger's new swing and what contending means about the status of the swing overhaul.

Whether he “owns” the new action remains to be seen, but through two turns in Oz the action no longer appears mechanical or forced.

“I have way less thought now and more reaction to the target and that’s a very good thing,” Woods said. “I was close to what I have now at Augusta, but it still wasn’t there. I have to understand this motion and it’s taken some time to get here.”

Maybe even more compelling is that Woods has emerged this week despite all the slights against him of late, be they real or perceived, or maybe it’s because of them.

I asked Tiger if the Gary Player-style follow throughs were a product of the ground tilt or something he's working on with Sean Foley.

He replied...both:

No, it is slope of the ground. If it is slightly down, just go with it. It is funny that you say that because it is also one of the drills we work on. Sean puts me on a down slope and I hit through it. It may just come out because of the drill.