Darren Clarke is four shots off Vijay Singh's lead at the halfway stage of the US Tour's season-opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii. County Tyrone native Clarke, who trailed first round leader Stuart Appleby by just one shot after Thursday's first round, shot a 69 for a 36-hole total of 10-under 136.
Singh, the leading money winner on the US PGA Tour last year, continued his sizzling form with a nine-under-par 64. Shrugging off difficult winds, the the 40-year-old from Fiji birdied the final seven holes for a 14-under 132 total on Maui's Kapalua Plantation course to pull one stroke ahead of Appleby, whose 67 was not enough to stay in front. The Australian was five shots ahead at the turn but had no answer to Singh's 29 on the back nine.
Tiger Woods recovered from a shocking start to shoot 70, which left him nine strokes off the pace. Woods lost his opening tee shot in long rough and took double bogey before dropping another shot at the second, but made few mistakes after that.
Filed by James Boylan
