Former world number one Tiger Woods looked set to keep a proud record alive after a battling second round in the Players Championship.

Two-time winner Woods has never missed the cut in 16 previous appearances at Sawgrass, although he has withdrawn twice through injury, but looked in danger of an early exit with one hole to play.

However, the 39-year-old birdied the par-five ninth, his final hole, to card a round of 71 and get back to level par for the tournament, one shot inside the predicted cut mark.

Woods began the day one over par after finishing his opening 73 with a double bogey on the 18th and endured another rollercoaster round with five bogeys and six birdies.

Woods has started just four events in 2015, shooting a career-worst score of 82 to miss the cut in the first of them and withdrawing through injury after just 11 holes of the second on February 5.

After two months out to work on his game Woods returned to action in the Masters and finished joint 17th at Augusta National, but revealed on Tuesday he had not slept for three days following the end of his relationship with skier Lindsey Vonn.