Tiger plays 12

         Tiger Woods was in good spirits out on the course today, chatting and laughing with playing companions Arjun Atwal--the Clarke High and Nassau Community college graduate who is a neighbor at Isleworth--and Stanford golfer Joseph Bramlett.

          But it sure was going slowly on the back nine. Woods hit his tee shot on No. 13 then he and his security people ducked down a private path and headed back to the range. He is scheduled for a 3 p.m. Eastern time news conference and he never would have made it had he kept playing.