Els moves four clear of field

Ernie Els walked up the ninth fairway today and studied the electronic scoreboard behind the green. He had two reasons to look.

First, Els wanted to see the size of his lead in the Mercedes Championships, which was two strokes and growing. Then, he wanted to see if Tiger Woods's name was anywhere to be found. It wasn't.

"At a regular tour event, you have to beat 153 guys and Tiger,'' Els said. "This week, you have to beat 32 guys and Tiger.''

After two rounds against the winners-only field, it doesn't matter what the event is.

While Woods struggled to extend his streak of consecutive rounds at par or better, the Big Easy made the Plantation Course at Kapalua look like a breeze in a round of 7-under-par 66 that gave him a four-stroke lead after 36 holes.

"I've done some pretty hard work up to now,'' Els said. "I can reap a little bit of the benefits. I don't want to change anything.''

Els was at 12-under 134 and has made only one bogey in two rounds in the fierce, often swirling, trade winds off the coast of Maui.

He will play the third round with his favorite practice partner, Masters champion Vijay Singh, who had eagle putts on all of the par 5s and had a 6-under 67.

Also at 138 was Jim Furyk, in his first tournament since injuring his right wrist while playing football in the parking lot before a Pittsburgh Steelers game; and Rory Sabbatini of South Africa. Both shot 69s.

A year ago, Els went toe-to-toe with Woods over the final 54 holes, one of the most thrilling weekends on the PGA Tour. He lost in a sudden-death playoff when Woods capped off an eagle-birdie-birdie finish with a 40-foot putt.

At this rate, Els won't have to slug it out with anyone -- not even Woods.

Woods had an even-par 73, his worst score since a 3-over 73 in the first round of the GTE Byron Nelson Classic on May 11 of last year.

"It can't be much worse,'' Woods said. "I'm hitting it terrible, putting it terrible, chipping it terrible. Other than that, it's pretty good.''

A 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th was enough to keep his streak of consecutive rounds at par or better safe -- 49 straight rounds on the PGA Tour, 57 straight rounds worldwide -- but was hardly a consolation.

At 143, he was nine strokes behind Els, his largest 36-hole deficit since Woods was 10 strokes behind in the Buick Open last August. Woods finished in a tie for 11th that week, seven strokes out of the lead.

"It could have been a lot worse than it was,'' Woods said. "And it could have been a lot better. I didn't do too much damage out there. I hurt the golf course a lot.''

Woods had trouble in the trade winds, coming up well short on the par-3 eighth that crosses a gorge, and bombing it over the 164-yard 11th hole that was downwind.

The course played slightly easier than the first round, and several players took advantage.

Jesper Parnevik was 10 strokes better than Thursday, a 7-under 66 that included a 99-yard lob wedge that he holed for eagle on No. 16. The Swede missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th, but was in no mood to complain.

Singh hit 5-iron into the 532-yard fifth hole and holed a 25-foot eagle putt. He two-putted from the 40-foot range on the other par 5s, and picked up another two-putt birdie when he reached the front edge of the green on the downwind, 373-yard 12th.

"That's what you need around here,'' Singh said.

Furyk is playing for the first time since Las Vegas. He had been sidelined courtesy of a wrist injury that occurred while trying to break his fall as he threw the football around with friends. In his first competition, he was pleasantly surprised.

"I don't know if I'm in a good mood or it's good to be back on the golf course again, but I've been very patient,'' Furyk said.

He also has had success in the wind, having won the Hawaiian Open and Las Vegas when the wind was blowing hard.

"I would never say I like the wind -- that's asking for it to blow 100 mph,'' Furyk said. "But when I'm hitting it well, I can do as well as the next guy.''

For now, that guy is Els, who is determined to start the year with a different result than last year.

One stroke behind Justin Leonard to start the second round, he hit a pitching wedge into 5 feet for a birdie on No. 3, and cruised around the Plantation course with surprising ease. The only time he came close to a bogey was on No. 7, where he had to make a 10-footer for par. He also missed four birdie putts inside 10 feet.

Having to chase Woods is no picnic. Changing that name to Els is not much easier.

"He hits it three miles and straight, putts real good,'' Rocco Mediate said. "Ernie has got the whole deal. Physically, I don't think there's much to improve in Ernie Els's game.''

Els would like to change one thing this week -- the outcome.

"I feel pretty comfortable out there,'' Els said. "I just want to play my game and let everything else take care of itself.''

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