Big names highlight leaderboard at Buick Open



Low scores will prevail during final two rounds.
GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) -- Some big names are having their way with Warwick Hills.
Vijay Singh shared the second-round lead at the Buick Open with Jim Furyk and Billy Andrade on Friday, and they had two familiar faces right behind them.
John Daly matched his best round of the year with an 8-under 64 and was tied with three others at 10 under, one stroke behind the leaders. Tiger Woods had a 4-under 68 and was among four others another shot back.
The cut was 4 under, matching the low for the season on the PGA Tour and the lowest in Buick Open history.
"There are some good names, but no matter who is on the board, you're going to have to make a bunch of birdies," Woods said. "It's just the nature of this golf course and tournament. You can't go out there and make a bunch of pars."
Unlike majors, where conservative and solid play is rewarded, Warwick Hills forces players to be aggressive. Stewart Cink, who shot a 65 to join Daly in fourth, said, "it's dart-throwing golf."
Wild weekend expected
Singh expects the weekend to be wild. "It's going to be a shootout," he said.
Singh -- who shot a 70 Friday after starting the day with a one-stroke lead at 9 under -- was one of the few on the leaderboard unable to take advantage of soggy conditions that made the course even more susceptible to low scores.
"It was a tough day," he said. "I'm happy to be still leading."
The highlight of Daly's round was the par-3 17th when his tee shot left him with a 2-foot birdie putt, which the crowd favorite made drawing a roar at the hole known for its rowdy gallery.
Daly, who has battled alcohol and personal problems, had a 64 at the Nissan Open in February when he finished fourth.
He missed the cut at both the British Open and the Masters and hasn't had a top-10 finish since April. But he won the Buick Invitational six months ago, his first victory since the 1995 British Open.
"I needed a round like this to get some confidence," Daly said.
Furyk, playing in his fourth tournament since having wrist surgery in March, has a legitimate shot at being the first to repeat at the Buick Open since Tony Lema in 1965.
He had a second-round 67, hitting every fairway for the second straight day, and has been in the 60s in 14 of his last 16 rounds at Warwick Hills.
Furyk knows his hot streak at the Buick Open can't end now.
Low numbers needed
"I know I have to go out there and fire two low numbers," he said.
Woods pulled within a shot of the leaders with a birdie at No. 14 but followed that with his first bogey of the tournament. He failed to birdie the par-5 16th after a lackluster chip and putt.
After his putt curled away from the hole, Woods swung his putter in the air while the ball was still rolling. After the No. 1 player in the world marked the ball, he flung it to his caddie with a look of disgust -- still disappointed with his poor chip.
Andrade has picked up where he left off last week when he finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, his only top-10 finish in 20 events. He followed an opening 68 with a 65.
Players vying for a spot on the Ryder Cup team have three tournaments left -- Buick Open, The International and the PGA Championship -- to earn points with top-10 finishes.
The top 10 players earn automatic spots on the U.S. team.
Jerry Kelly and Scott Verplank, 11th and 12th in the points, were both 7 under and tied for 15th. Fred Funk, in eighth place, withdrew from the tournament with a rib injury and Jeff Maggert, who is 10th in the standings, missed the cut.
Steve Flesch, currently ninth, just made the cut at 4 under.
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