Tiger Woods at Hero World Challenge 2016: Friday Leaderboard Score and Reaction

Tiger Woods bounced back Friday after a forgettable finish to his opening round with a seven-under 65 on Day 2 of the 2016 Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. The tournament host carded seven birdies and no bogeys to leave him at six under overall after 36 holes.

Woods was forced to play the round without a partner because Justin Rose withdrew before the day's action started due to continued back problems, per Will Gray of Golf Channel. It made for a swift journey around the course. The 14-time major champion needed less than three hours to play all 18.

His second round was steadier than his first. While there were occasional signs of rust, he eliminated most of the round-altering errors that caused problems Thursday. It allowed him to make a move up the leaderboard with a stream of birdies.

Check out the scorecard from Woods' second trip around the Albany resort:

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	OUT
Hole	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	IN
Par	4	3	5	4	3	5	4	3	5	36
Score	3	3	5	4	3	4	4	3	4	33
Total	E	E	E	E	E	-1	-1	-1	-2	-
Par	4	5	3	4	4	5	4	3	4	36
Score	4	4	2	4	3	4	4	3	4	32
Total	-2	-3	-4	-4	-5	-6	-6	-6	-6	65

Here's a look at the updated tournament leaderboard:

On Thursday, Woods turned back the clock early in the opening round, posting four birdies over the first eight holes to race into a tie for first place. He struggled over the final 10 holes, however, which turned a potentially memorable return into a mundane one-over 73.

The 40-year-old former world No. 1 was his typically upbeat self during the post-match press conference, blaming the second-half struggles on "silly mistakes." It's standard for him to provide an optimistic assessment, though, even if his inner feelings are different.

That's why outside perspective has always been important when it comes to assessing where his game stands during his various comebacks. In this case, Steve DiMeglio of USA Today noted first-round playing partner Patrick Reed liked what he saw from Woods.

"Overall, he's really close, and that's good to see," Reed said. "He chipped it really well, except for the one on nine. But it's good to see him play, and good to see him come out and play so well after such a long layoff."

Hank Haney, one of Woods' past coaches, also came away with a bullish outlook:

The five-time tournament winner got off to another strong start in the second round. He blistered his opening tee shot, which left a wedge into the green and a short putt for a birdie on No. 1. A routine hole was exactly what he needed after two late double bogeys Thursday.

Woods added another birdie on the sixth. He got up and down from the sand after a mediocre approach shot, but his short game continued to show signs of improvement. It was one of the biggest concerns about his game when he last played nearly 16 months ago.

He closed out a bogey-free front nine with a third birdie to match the 33 he posted on the front half during the first round. In addition, he jumped a hurdle by getting through No. 9 without any drama. That's where his problems started Thursday.

Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker passed along the key stats from the front side:

On a lighter note, Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports showcased the power of the Tiger phenomenon:

Woods posted back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, and it could have easily been four straight if not for a lip-out on the 10th. The highlight was his tee shot on No. 12, which rolled to within feet of the cup for his second near-ace of the tournament.

The PGA Tour spotlighted the picture-perfect swing and result:

The 898th-ranked player in the world showed signs of improvement on the tee after the turn. After a couple of tugs early on in the round, he started finding the fairway more regularly on the back side.

Shane Bacon of Fox Sports discussed the star's rhythm:

He nearly dropped his first shot of the day on the 16th. A bad bounce into the native area off the tee put him behind the eight ball. He was left with around a 25-foot par putt by the time he reached the green, and he proceeded to pour it in for an outstanding save.

The long-range make led to his most emphatic first pump of the week, as the PGA Tour showcased:

He finished the second round with a pair of comfortable pars. In all, it was a far less hectic finish than about 22 hours earlier when things got away from him late.

ESPN Stats and Info wrapped up the strong rebound effort:

ESPN recapped the massive difference on the back nine on Day 2:

Once again, Woods made it through the round without any noticeable health setbacks. Although it sounds like a broken record, it's worth repeating that getting through all four days of competition healthy is far more important than his finish this week.

He's playing well for somebody who was sidelined for over 450 days while recovering from back issues. A majority of his misses are left, which is preferable to the two-way miss that plagued him before the extended absence, and there have been some nice iron and wedge shots along the way.

Looking ahead, the two points of emphasis for Woods over the weekend will be continuing to get more comfortable with his driver and his touch on the greens. Those two factors have been hit or miss so far, but the fact he doesn't have bigger problems at this stage is a promising sign.

Post-Round Reaction

The PGA Tour provided remarks from Woods on some of his Friday highlights:

As for his physical condition, he stated his body felt better following the second round than after the first round or the pro-am event, per Tiger Tracker.

"I'd like to know why," Woods said. "Maybe because I made a few putts."