ASSOCIATED PRESS Vijay Singh has had consistent success at Kapalua but his best finishes are a pair of seconds.

Singh separates

The former No. 1 cards a 69 to take sole possession of the lead as he seeks his first win at Kapalua's Plantation Course

KAPALUA, Maui » The way Vijay Singh has managed his game through the wind and rain that have kept the Plantation Course company the past two days, you might think he wants more of the same this weekend.

But you'd be wrong.

Despite holding a one-shot advantage over Trevor Immelman and Will MacKenzie in conditions better suited for a hurricane, Singh is hopeful things will settle a bit as he tries to win the $5.5 million Mercedes-Benz Championship for the first time in 11 tries.

Since the tournament moved to Maui in 1999, Singh has seven top-10 finishes here, including placing second twice to three-time defending champion Stuart Appleby. He did little to hurt his chances yesterday with his second straight 4-under 69 for a two-day total of 138.

Immelman, considered a rising star on the PGA Tour, fashioned a 5-under 68 for a two-day total of 139. He finds himself tied for second with Will MacKenzie, whose 3-under 70 kept him two shots clear of J.B. Holmes (68), Chris Couch (70) and Davis Love III (71).

Australian Adam Scott is one shot back of that threesome, thanks to a 69 that left him with a two-day total of 4-under 142. In all, a dozen golfers landed in red figures after two days of inclement weather that could stick around for the weekend.

"I would like to see it calm down a little bit," Singh said after managing five birdies and one bogey. "You know, it's just a little too difficult out there. I would like it to be like it played the last four or five holes. It wasn't blowing that much. It was manageable.

"When you made the turn it was almost getting to the state where, you know, could have called it. The ball was oscillating on the greens and it was just kind of getting a little too difficult there. The wind was howling. It must have been blowing at 40 mph. When we got around the corner at 13 and 14, it started to come down a little bit. It was playable then."

For a while yesterday it appeared it wouldn't be playable at all. The second round was delayed 80 minutes, forcing the golfers to go off both sides at noon. Holmes and Immelman managed the best rounds to put themselves into contention, but there are only seven shots separating a dozen golfers.

Appleby and 2001 champion Jim Furyk are tied for 11th at 1-under 145. Both could catch Singh if conditions improve, but they will need two good rounds to put themselves back in it. Appleby is trying to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win the same event four consecutive times, but will need a little help to walk away a winner tomorrow.

"The greens are very tricky in these kind of conditions," Appleby said. "They are different than the ones I won on the first time and even though I won on them last year, it wasn't in weather like this. I still feel like I'm right there if I can put two good rounds together."

Singh is the only golfer in the winners-only field to manage two rounds in the 60s. He almost landed in some serious trouble when he jerked his drive off the 18th tee into the tall stuff. Fortunately for him, he was able to find his ball, take an unplayable lie, hit his third shot on the green and two-putt for par.

"The driver I've got now, I feel really comfortable with it," Singh said. "That's the first bad drive I hit on 18, but it wasn't the driver's fault. I always try to hit it too hard there. I'm happy with my driver and I'm happy with my golf swing. It's looking good and it's feeling good, which is more important than looks good."

If coming close here is bothering Singh, he's not showing it. Spending most of the offseason working on his swing, the former No. 1 player in the world is playing better than he did last year, when he managed only one win at the Barclays Classic.

Two years ago, he got off to a fast start by finishing in a tie for fifth here and then winning the Sony Open in Hawaii the following week. He's hoping for more of the same this year, but isn't willing to get too far ahead of himself.

"Any golf tournament you want to win, obviously," Singh said. "This would be a good one for the start of the season, just kind of relax me and let me play more freely. But I can't get ahead of myself. I just have to play a day at a time."

Immelman, who is playing here for the first time, is taking a similar approach. The South African is tied with the American MacKenzie, whose improbable career path leaves him as a fan favorite.

"Yeah, I made the rookie mistake of the century by giving my room number away on the Golf Channel," MacKenzie said. "You know what, I want to thank everyone who called me, though, from wherever. I really appreciate that. I got a lot of calls and a lot of support, but I had to turn my phone off because I didn't want to get woken up late at night."

Love and Scott are also fan favorites and have a chance as well. Scott is going home to Australia after he's done this weekend, while Love will head over to Oahu to play in the Sony. Love has managed eight birdies on the par-5s, while Scott shot one of only four rounds in the 60s.