SYDNEY (AP) — It was the shot of the day Friday at the Australian Open, and one that made the Tiger Woods of today look ominously like the one of yesterday.

Standing about 280 yards from the green on the par-5 eighth hole at The Lakes, Woods grabbed his 3-wood, flushed it with a slight fade into a brisk breeze and rolled it on to the green. Two putts later, his birdie helped him to a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Australian veteran Peter O’Malley going into the weekend.

That impressed one of his playing partners, Australian Robert Allenby, who missed the cut after rounds of 75-73, but who still seemed to enjoy the front-row seat to Woods’ apparent resurgence.

“Probably in the last six months, that’s the best I’ve seen him play,” Allenby said in the scorers’ area while Woods was mobbed by autograph seekers. “I’ve seen him at his absolute best … that was a different human being. He’s on his way back, that’s for sure.

“I think where he is right now is good enough to win. I think you’ll find if he keeps going the way he is going, he’ll win over the weekend.”

Woods, who was at 9-under 135, thought Friday’s round might even have been better — “it felt it could have been 8 or 9 deep.”