Maruyama takes over lead with 63

Shigeki Maruyama held his thumb and forefinger just a fraction of an inch apart to size up his chances of winning the Byron Nelson Classic.

``Little chance,'' he said with a big smile.

It might not seem like much for a guy who shot a 7-under 63 Friday to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend, but his confidence is certainly higher than it was two years ago.

That was when Maruyama was tied for the 36-hole lead in San Diego, where Tiger Woods was going for his seventh straight PGA Tour victory. The Japanese star was asked if he could be the one to end Woods streak.

``No chance,'' Maruyama said.

Now, he has reason to believe he can win anywhere, no matter who is playing.

And yes, the weekend will include Woods, who recovered from a sloppy opening round to shoot 65 on the TPC at Las Colinas and quickly end speculation whether he would make the cut.

Woods not only made the cut for the 87th consecutive tour event -- third-best on the career list, just 26 behind the record set by Byron Nelson -- he gave himself a decent chance of winning his third title of the year. He was at 136, six strokes behind.

``The only time you think about the cut is when you've only got two or three holes left and you're on the bubble,'' Woods said after taking just 25 putts. ``I just wanted to get within five or six shots of the lead.''

Mission accomplished, although there is still plenty of work left -- and plenty of players that separate him from Maruyama.

A week after K.J. Choi won in New Orleans to become the first Korean to earn a PGA Tour victory, Maruyama showed more Asian presence on tour leaderboards with his bogey-free round at Las Colinas to finish at 10-under 130.

Jim Carter (67) and Paul Stankowski (65) were at 132, while another stroke was a guy who seems to have a strong presence on the leaderboard every time he plays -- Phil Mickelson, who made two eagles in a round of 6-under 134.

Mickelson, who has contended on Sunday in his last four tournaments, was at 133 and joined by two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen (69), Jeff Maggert (67) and Bryce Molder, who recovered from four bogeys on his first 10 holes to shoot 70.

Mickelson had 14 pars but still managed a 64. He holed a 30-foot eagle putt on No. 7, then thrilled the crowd with another aggressive move by driving to the fringe of the 347-yard 11th hole and chipping in for another eagle.

Does he always try to drive the 11th hole at Las Colinas?

``Only on Thursday and Friday. On the weekend, there's more television coverage and I would get roasted,'' Mickelson said, making light of the criticism he has received for his gambling style.

The criticism isn't just from the media.

Stankowski talked about learning to play smart golf, citing Woods as an example.

``He doesn't make mistakes,'' Stankowski said. ``There are other guys who do make mistakes. Granted, they still win, but they don't win as much as they should.''

He later was asked what he thought of Mickelson's game.

``I'm not going to comment on him,'' Stankowski said. ``I said something earlier. I think you can deduce it. Some players do play overly aggressive. More players should watch Tiger.''

Stankowski and Mickelson will be paired together Saturday.

The leaders are typically bunched together in the tournament, and this year is no different. While Woods was only six strokes behind, he was in a tie for 25th. Also at 136 were British Open champion David Duval and PGA champion David Toms.

The cut was at 139, so even the bottom of the pack is within nine shots of the lead.

Among those missing the cut were Vijay Singh, coming off a three-week break because of an injured left foot, and Sergio Garcia, the defending champion next week at Colonial.

Maruyama made it look easy on another blustery and sometimes soggy day, which caused a one-hour delay in the morning while the courses dried out.

His birdie flurry on the TPC course began on the par-3 fifth hole with a 7-iron into 6 feet, and he followed that with a 20-footer on No. 6 and an easy up-and-down from just off the green on the par-5 seventh hole.

The most impressive birdie was at No. 8, a difficult hole playing into the wind with trees lining both sides of the fairway, and a back pin position. Maruyama hit a 4-iron from about 200 yards to 6 feet and was well on his way.

Little chance? OK, maybe a little better than that.

``As long as I can play my golf, the best golf in the field, I probably have a chance to win,'' he said.

Divots

Players were allowed to pick up and clean their ball from the fairway. ... David Duval holed a 75-foot chip from a sidehill lie that flew straight into the cup and landed with such forced that it damaged the side of the hole. PGA Tour rules official Ben Nelson had to repair it before Jeff Maggert and Lee Janzen could hit their birdie putts. ... Phil Mickelson was at the Mavericks-Kings playoff game Thursday night, and planned to watch the Texas Rangers play Friday night. Discussing his love of sports, especially football, he proceeded to break down the NFL draft (he would have taken Julius Peppers with the first pick), and said the Cowboys had an excellent draft but need twomore just like it.

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