AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods was just hacking along, closer to the cut than the lead.

Then, suddenly, he turned into the Tiger of old.

Before the sex scandal, the ruined marriage, the tawdry jokes. Before he fiddled with his swing yet again and stopped making all the big putts.

On one of golf's biggest stages, with everyone watching, Woods found his swing, his touch, his bravado.

The Tiger of old, indeed.

“I'm right where I need to be,” he said, sounding as confident as ever after his best round at Augusta since his last win in 2005.

Woods shot a 6-under 66 to close within three shots of the lead heading to the weekend, chasing a 21-year-old hotshot from Northern Ireland who shows all the signs of being the game's next big thing.

Bring it on.

“I'm definitely looking forward to it,” Woods said. “It's going to be fun.”

Rory McIlroy finished third in the last two majors of 2010, and he's put together superb rounds over the first two days at Augusta National.

A 69 on the heels of an opening 65 pushed McIlroy to 10-under 134 at the midway point. He was two shots ahead of Australia's Jason Day — only 23 himself and playing in his first Masters — with Woods and K.J. Choi another stroke back.

Except for Woods, none of those guys has won a major title. He's got 14 of ‘em. And if his play over the last dozen holes of Friday's second round is any indication, he's a definite contender for No. 15.

Woods made seven birdies during that stretch and just missed another after a brilliant tee shot over the pond at the par-3 16th. He also rolled in a tricky par-saving putt that kept the momentum going — no small consideration for a guy mired in the longest winless streak of his career.

“We've got a long way to go,” he said. “There's so many guys with a chance to play themselves into the tournament.”

Indeed. Former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy and long-hitting Alvaro Quiros were at 138. The group five shots behind included talented young American Rickie Fowler, 51-year-old Fred Couples, surging Lee Westwood and 2009 PGA champion Y.E. Yang, the only guy who's ever rallied to beat Woods on the final day of a major.

Jim Furyk, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia were all within striking distance, too.

McIlroy was looking forward to the challenge. He learned a tough lesson at last year's British Open, where he opened with a 63 and soared to an 80 the next day. He rallied from that debacle to finish third, claimed that spot again at the PGA Championship and helped Europe win the Ryder Cup.

He might be a freckle-faced kid with an unruly head of hair, but he's shown a maturity beyond his years. There's nothing to indicate he'll melt away in the spotlight of the lead.

“As we all know, he's got an inordinate amount of talent,” Woods said. “It was just a matter of time before he started to play like this in major championships.”

McIlroy went the first 29 holes of the tournament without a bogey. He finally stumbled with an errant tee shot into the bunker at No. 12, and didn't look quite as sharp the rest of the way. A delicate chip at No. 15 nearly rolled back into the water. A couple of good birdie chances didn't drop.

“I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I just didn't make as many putts as I would've liked on the back nine,” McIlroy said. “But I can't really complain. I'm in the lead going to the weekend at the Masters.”

Day is another up-and-comer, and he showed no respect for a course he's playing for the first time this week. He made eight birdies for the best round of the tournament, a 64 that sent him surging up the leaderboard.

McIlroy and Day played with another member of the kiddie corps, the 22-year-old Fowler. He shot a 69, giving that group a combined 14-under total Friday.

“It was fun playing with Rory and Rickie out there,” Day said. “I can't even remember shooting 8 under. It was just a lot of great golf and I'm looking forward to the weekend.”

While the focus at this Masters has been on youth, let's not forget the older guys.

Couples, the 1992 champion, got himself into contention for the second year in a row. Even with a balky back, he strolled around the course as though he owns the place on the way to a 68.

“I know the course more than most people,” he said, “and that helps.”

The defending champ has a lot of work to do. Phil Mickelson muddled through a 72 that left him eight shots off the lead.

“I left too many chances out there,” he said. “We've got the weekend to look forward to, and fortunately, I'm not in that bad of a spot. If I can shoot a good round, I can get back in it.”

Woods made his move Friday, even though it didn't start out that way.

His very first shot landed in a bunker, and he wound up with bogey. He flubbed a wedge at No. 3, the shortest par-4 on the course, and took another. When he three-putted at No. 7, he was 1 over for the day and even for the tournament, nowhere close to those at the top of the board.

A birdie at the par-5 eighth was nothing special, but a sand wedge to 15 feet on No. 9 sent him around the turn with two straight birdies. At the 10th, he made it three straight with an 8-iron to 3 feet.

The Augusta patrons began to sense something special.

The cheers got louder. The fist pumps became more frequent.

Woods strung together three more birdies starting at No. 13, then finished up with one more on the last hole after driving under the trees. He whacked it out with an 8-iron, twisting his body the way he wanted the ball to go, and watched it stop 10 feet right of the hole.

When that putt dropped in, Woods pumped his fist one more time. He hasn't gone this low at the Masters since he shot 66 in the second round of the ‘05 tournament, which he went on to win by beating Chris DiMarco in a playoff.

“I was just being patient, just plodding myself along,” Woods said. “Just stay in the present and stay in the moment and make a few birdies when I had the opportunities. If I made a mistake here and there, which I did early, just play the next shot. That's it.”

He made it sound so easy.

Of course, we all know it's not.

Woods has gone 20 tournaments over 17 months without a win. One brilliant round is a good start to a comeback. Now he must show he can do it again. And again.

“I'm three back,” he said. “I played myself back in the championship. We have still 36 more holes.”