Woods gone; Dufner, Bradley lead at PGA Championship

? It was all a matter of timing, Tiger Woods said. He never could get to the green soon enough, without a detour in a bunker or a pond. So he is heading directly home, sooner than he wanted or imagined.

Woods missed the cut, by a long way, at the PGA Championship and pretty much ended a season that has been one big detour.

“I thought I could come in here and play the last couple of weeks and get it done somehow,” he said after finishing his two rounds at 10-over par, tied for 116th. “But I need some work.”

He won’t be around to see how the rest of the field does at the Atlanta Athletic Club that proved mostly tough, with a few notable exceptions. Keegan Bradley shot 6-under par 64 on Friday and is tied for the halfway lead at 5 under with Jason Dufner. A big mix of veterans and youngsters is in contention (Jim Furyk and Scott Verplank are among those at 4 under).

Former Kansas University golfer Gary Woodland is even par.

“There always seems to be a couple guys in majors that surprise people,” said Dufner, who shot 65.

No one in the field has the background and cachet of Woods, who missed a major cut for the third time as a pro (2006 U.S. Open, 2009 British Open). This one was in a class by itself, though.

A day after he said his dominant emotion was anger, he said he was more disappointed. “I’m not contending in the tournament,” he said. “So, next time.”