ASSOCIATED PRESS Vijay Singh shot an 8-under 65 yesterday to extend his Mercedes Championships lead to two strokes.

Singh takes control

The world’s top-ranked player leads
Mike Weir by two shots at the
Mercedes Championships

KAPALUA, Maui » Don't have the right driver in your bag? Forget about it. Miss a 3-footer for birdie? Who cares. Hook your drive into the tall stuff on the par-5 ninth? No problem.

These days, life is so good for Vijay Singh, even when something goes wrong, he figures out a way to make it right. Yesterday, all he did was shoot an 8-under 65 to take a two-shot lead over Mike Weir entering the crucial third round of the $5.3 million Mercedes Championships.

"I was really comfortable out there; I didn't feel nervous or anything," Singh said. "It was a wind I knew from before. I had a great start. I hit the second shot on one and made a good putt and hit it stiff on two. That helps, birdies off the bat."

Bird was the word for many of the golfers climbing up the star-studded leaderboard. Singh managed one eagle, six birdies and no bogeys and has a two-day total of 131. Weir carded one eagle, eight birdies and no bogeys en route to a 10-under 63 for a two-day total of 133.

South African Ernie Els, who holds the course record with a 31-under 261, got into the act with a second-round 65. He had eight birdies and no bogeys to post a 36-hole score of 134. When asked if Singh being in the lead made him think it was 2004 all over again, Els stepped out of his Big Easy demeanor to let everyone know the game has just begun.

"He's obviously got some momentum going," Els said in measured tones. "He's playing great golf. Let's not get that wrong. But it's a long year. We can all play this game. I get my act together, you know, it will be game-on and the same with Tiger (Woods) and the same with other people. If he beats me this week, you know, well played, but there's another week next week and there's a long year to go."

Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods aren't far down the ladder themselves. Garcia fired a solid 67 for a 135 score that left him in a tie for fourth with feisty Jonathan Kaye. Woods struggled with the grainy greens, but did birdie three of the final five holes to earn a tie for sixth at 136 with Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell.

"Oh, it's pitiful," Woods said of his putting woes. Despite hitting drives of 390 and 408 yards, Woods had 32 putts for a second straight day. By comparison, Weir needed only 23.

"I didn't make anything," Woods said. "Consequently, I'm lucky enough that Vijay didn't run off with it. With the start he had, he could easily have put 4 or 5 under on that back nine and it could have been, off he goes. At least I made a run at the end and kept my spirits up a little bit."

Staying upbeat is no problem for Singh. About a half-hour before his tee time, Singh discovered he had the wrong driver in his bag. No problem. He just sent his caddy back to the hotel to get the right one. He knocked in a 60-footer for birdie on the par-4 seventh, then missed a 3-footer for birdie on the eighth.

"I was disappointed missing that one," Singh said. "I told my caddie, I said, 'It makes up for the long putt I made on the previous hole.' So it evened out there."

Perhaps, but an errant drive on the par-5 ninth left him in the high grass that guards the left side of the fairway. He hit a provisional from the tee, but fortunately for him, he found his ball, took a drop, hit his third shot short of the green, but got up and down for a par to finish with a 30. He had a 32 on the back nine Thursday for a 62 over the course of two days.

"I wish I could put one round together like that," Singh said. "But that great up and down on nine kept the momentum going for me."

Defending champion Stuart Appleby got some momentum back with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 8 under for the tournament. Joining him at that spot on the leaderboard were U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, David Toms and Vaughn Taylor. Overall, only Fred Funk is out of the red with a 2-over 148.

"I even know what Fred Funk shot today," Singh said when asked if he kept up with the leaderboard. "It's out there to look. You have a lot of time to think between holes, so you might as well look at the leaderboard, you know."