The Associated Press

HONOLULU - Aaron Baddeley, 21, earned the right to play in this PGA Tour event and he played like he belonged Friday, shooting a 6-under 64 to share the lead with Retief Goosen through two rounds of the Sony Open.

The Aussie made birdies on three of his last five holes at windy Waialae Country Club and looked like he was ready to live up to the hype he earned by winning the Australian Open twice as a teenager.

Baddeley will be in the final pairing today with Goosen, a former U.S. Open champion and the fourth-ranked player in the world.

Both finished at 10-under 130 on a Waialae course that puts a premium on accuracy because of the tight, winding fairways and tiny greens.

Ernie Els, coming off a record performance last week at Kapalua when he won by eight strokes set a PGA Tour record at 31 under par, showed no signs of letting up.

Despite missing two birdie putts inside 6 feet on his back nine, Els shot a 65 and was one stroke behind, along with Chris DiMarco (66) and Peter Lonard (65).

WOODS REHABBING: Tiger Woods' rehabilitation from knee surgery is going as planned, and he hopes to resume practice next week using every club in his bag.

"The doctors are limiting me to 100 balls a day, which is frustrating because it's hard to work out my flaws," Woods said Friday on his Web site. "The good news is that for the first time in nearly a year, my knee is pain-free."

Woods, coming off a year in which he won the Masters and U.S. Open, had surgery Dec. 12 to remove fluid around his left knee ligaments and to remove benign cysts.

Woods said he hopes to return to the PGA Tour during the West Coast swing, presumably the Buick Invitational, if his knee is ready.

"Hopefully, I have a long career ahead of me, and there's no sense rushing it," Woods said.

This is the longest layoff of his career and the first time he has been forced to miss a tournament because of injury. Woods skipped the winners-only Mercedes Championships last week at Kapalua, which Ernie Els won at a record 31-under par.

"I don't think I've ever seen Ernie Els swing so well," Woods said. "He seemed in complete control, and it was a great performance. I look forward to playing against him in Dubai in March."

Woods has agreed to play in the United Arab Emirates and "nothing has shown me otherwise" that he should stay out of the area.

His agent, Mark Steinberg at IMG, said he would talk to high-ranking government officials as the tournament gets closer.

Meantime, Woods said he hopes to play 18 holes next week for the first time since he finished second in his Target World Challenge on Dec. 8.

He said he played seven holes at Isleworth Country Club, his home course outside Orlando, Fla., but used nothing more than a 3-iron.

Woods also has been giving lessons to Swedish girlfriend Elin Nordegren.

"My dad's also been helping her, and she's doing very well for a beginner," Woods said. "Now, if I could just get her to release the club. She's having fun, and that's the main thing."

DUNHILL CHAMPIONSHIP: Bradley Dredge shot a 4-under-par 72 and held a one-stroke lead over Mark Roe after two rounds in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dredge, bidding for his first European Tour victory, had four birdies in five holes and was at 11-under 133 after two rounds.

NEW ZEALAND OPEN: Chris Downes shot a 2-under 70 in windy conditions and countryman Alan Patterson had a 71 to share the second-round lead in Auckland. Downes and Patterson had 7-under 137 totals.

Gareth Paddison (69) and Craig Jones (72) were a stroke back, and David Smail (70) was 5 under with Mahal Pearce (70) and Brendan Jones (70).