Leonard takes narrow lead

Justin Leonard and Harrison Frazar, roommates their freshmen year at the University of Texas and best friends ever since, could not have asked for a better situation at the Memorial Tournament.

They were atop the leaderboard heading into a suddenly soggy weekend.

And Tiger Woods was nowhere near them.

Leonard surged to a one-stroke lead Friday with an eagle and a tap-in birdie on consecutive holes late in his round for a 7-under 65, his best score in 27 trips around Muirfield Village.

Frazar also had a 65 and finished one stroke behind, a rare occasion when the Texas-Exes get to play together on the PGA Tour -- in contention, no less.

``We can't get too friendly out there and forget what we're trying to do,'' Leonard said.

It's still too early to forget about Woods.

Trying to become the first player in 75 years to win the same tournament four years in a row, Woods finally got a putt to fall on the final hole for a 2-under 70, leaving him 10 strokes behind 37 players between him and Leonard.

``I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow and see where I stand,'' Woods said. ``The golf course is soft and we got some rain coming in. It might be possible.''

Anything seems possible in this Memorial, especially considering 62-year-old tournament host Jack Nicklaus is still playing.

Nicklaus, who wasn't even sure he would tee it up Thursday, was in a tie for ninth at one point Friday until a mid-round collapse. Still, the Olden Bear had a 74 and made the cut for the first time in two years on the PGA Tour.

``If you would have asked me earlier in the week if I was going to a cut, I would have laughed at you,'' Nicklaus said. ``I'm really looking forward to the weekend.''

Leonard was at 10-under 134, in position to win for the third time since September. Frazar had eight birdies in his round of 65, and they had plenty of company behind them.

Vijay Singh (67), Stewart Cink (70) and Bob Tway (71) were at 136, while Phil Mickelson was in a large group at 139, posting a 66 despite a double bogey on No. 9.

Leonard and Frazar might be able to swap Tiger tales during the third round, especially since both were in a supporting role at Muirfield Village two years ago.

Leonard was the runner-up to Woods, albeit five strokes behind.

The real casualty was Frazar, who was one stroke out of the lead going into the weekend, in the final pairing with Woods.

Woods was 6-under par during one six-hole stretch and shot a 65.

Frazar had a 43 on the back nine and shot 78, and never quite recovered.

``It cost me thousands of dollars in psychological help,'' Frazar joked. ``It might have been the most humbling thing I've ever gone through in my life. Tiger made me feel ridiculous out there. I let it alter the way I felt about myself and my game.''

He has other scars, too, particularly one on his right hip from surgery last August.

Frazar is still trying to get his game in shape after the five-month layoff, and he has only one top-10 finish this year. But there was reason for hope on Friday.

The course was a smidgen softer because of gray skies and a few light showers, and Frazar took advantage. He made three straight birdies on the front nine, capped off by an 8-iron into tap-in range on No. 8.

Back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th hole gave him the lead, but he dropped a shot on the 18th when he tried to overpower an 8-iron from 166 yards and three-putted from long distance.

Along the way, he noticed Leonard creeping up the leaderboard and wasn't surprised.

``I bet that has something to do with him seeing my name on the board,'' Frazar said.

Leonard concurred, although he has enough savvy not to get wrapped up in a third-round pairing with one of his best friends.

Will Saturday be a slugfest?

``No, tomorrow won't be,'' Leonard said. ``Hopefully, we're in the same position on Sunday. Then, it will get a little tougher.''

No telling how tough it will be if Woods manages to get into the picture.

``If conditions were hard, fast and windy and he shot two real good rounds, he'd have a lot easier chance,'' Nicklaus said of Woods.

Does that mean Woods has no chance at four in a row?

``I never rule him out,'' Nicklaus replied.

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