LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida, 26 October 2003 — Tiger Woods equaled Byron Nelson’s 54-year-old PGA Tour record of making 113 consecutive cuts but it was Vijay Singh who led the way after the second round of the $4 million Funai Classic on Friday.

Fijian Singh fired a seven-under-par 65 for a 15-under total of 129, one stroke ahead of Bob Estes (63). John Rollins and David Peoples were joint third on 131.

Davis Love III, Stewart Cink, Bob Tway, Scott Verplank, Rocco Mediate and Brent Schwarzrock were tied for fifth place on 132. World No. 1 Woods shot a 67 at the Magnolia course for an 11-under tally of 133, safely inside the cut mark which fell at 139. The Palm course was also used for the opening two rounds here at the Walt Disney World Resort.

“I’m very proud (of the record),” Woods told reporters. “It’s certainly not something that is easy to do.”

Woods’ streak began at the 1998 Buick Invitational. Since then, he has played in 19 tournaments that did not have a cut, plus four WGC-Match Play Championships.

Of those 23 no-cut events, Woods won nine and was placed in the top 10 in 11 more. In 145 professional starts, the 27-year-old American has missed two cuts, at the 1997 Canadian Open and the 1998 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The final round at Pebble Beach was postponed because of rain until later in the year, and Woods, four-over after two rounds, chose to withdraw.

Nelson’s streak also ended at Pebble Beach, which was then called the Bing Crosby Invitational, when he pulled out after two rounds in 1949. Nelson won 54 PGA Tour events and was a five-time major winner, the US Masters (twice), the US PGA Championship (twice) and the 1939 US Open.

Casey Moves Four Clear in Madrid After Delayed Second Round

Britain’s Paul Casey birdied the par-three 17th to stretch his lead to four shots before completing his second round yesterday in the frost-delayed Madrid Open.

The 26-year-old Briton, who still had three holes to play at Club de Campo following a two-hour delay on Friday morning, added a 65 to his opening eight-under-par 63, finishing at 14-under 128. Sweden’s Robert Karlsson was alone in second place at 10 under after picking up two shots in his last three holes for a second-round 67.

Britain’s Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher and Australian Peter Fowler, leaders in the clubhouse overnight, were a further stroke back in a tie for third.

Defending champion Steen Tinning of Denmark, Casey’s playing partner for the first two rounds, marked his return to the course yesterday with a quadruple-bogey eight at the par-four 16th, where he found trees off the tee.

Although the 41-year-old Dane bounced back with a birdie at the 17th, he finished with an eight-over 79 and a 36-hole total of five-over 147, comfortably missing the halfway cut.