BRITISH OPEN Back on track, Els shoots 68 in second round

He will still face a daunting deficit this weekend.
SANDWICH, England (AP) -- Ernie Els recovered from his worst round ever at the British Open and will get a chance this weekend to defend his title.
He still has a lot of work to do, but Els is at least back on track at Royal St. George's after shooting a 3-under-par 68 Friday.
"I've got to play well, and hope for the best," he said.
Els started with a 78 but he's shown a penchant for regrouping. At the Masters in April, the South African opened with a 79, shot 66 the next day and wound up finishing sixth.
Despite matching countryman Hennie Otto for the best round of the tournament, Els most likely will face a daunting deficit going to the weekend. S.K. Ho, one of just five players to break par Thursday, surged to the lead with a birdie at No. 3 and an eagle at 4, pushing his score to 4 under.
"At least I have a smile on my face," Els said after getting a hug from his 4-year-old daughter, Samantha. "I worked very hard. I played very well in stages. I've got to get the putter a little warmer, but I'm not complaining."
First-round leader
Otto, a part-time player on the European tour, began to fade with a double bogey at No. 9. He drove into the rough, came up well short of the green with his second shot, then flew a wedge over the green.
By early afternoon, only three players were still under par. Ho shot 70 in the first round and was excelling at the short game, a necessity for scoring well on this quirky links north of the English Channel.
The 29-year-old South Korean, a regular on the Japan Tour, is playing his first British Open. Asked if he knew anything about the leader, Els shook his head and turned to look at the scoreboard.
"He's got a shorter surname than me," Els said.
Davis Love III, who shot 69 on Thursday, parred the first five holes to remain at 2 under. Greg Norman, also coming off a 69, was the only other player under par despite a bogey on his first hole.
Tiger Woods teed off in the afternoon and managed to keep up with his ball this time.
The world's top player, trying to snap an 0-for-4 slump in the majors, knocked his first shot of the tournament into ankle-deep rough. He never found the ball, leading to a triple bogey.
Woods recovered for a 73, and he started the second round with a 4 -- a three-stroke improvement over the previous day.
"I kept myself in the tournament," he said.
Missed chances
Taking advantage of the calmer morning conditions, Els left himself with makable birdie putts on the first seven holes.
Only two of them dropped in the cup, costing him a chance to go even lower.
At No. 7, especially, Els was kicking himself. A booming tee shot left him a short iron to the green, but he chunked the ball into the front bunker. Clearly disgusted, he stood in the middle of the fairway with a hand on his hip.
Forced to settle for par, Els threw the putter underhanded to his caddie, who managed to snag it with one hand.
"You always think you can do better," he said. "But my patience level was pretty good. It's easy to lose it after a hole like that, but I stayed with it."