Howell leads into the weekend

Paul Azinger lost two strokes and a lofty spot on the Bell Canadian Open leaderboard in the second television-related ruling of his career.

Azinger was penalized Friday after a TV viewer alerted PGA Tour officials that the veteran player's caddie, Ted Scott, removed the flagstick from the hole while playing partner Fred Funk's ball was still in motion on the 13th green -- barely moving about 2 feet past the cup after a chip.

"The rules of golf sometimes can be harsh," said Mike Shea, the Tour's senior director of rules who also took part in a TV-related ruling involving Azinger in 1991 at Doral. "Paul handled it very well. He took his medicine like a man."

The ruling left Azinger with a 2-under 68, putting him three strokes behind leader Charles Howell III after the second round. Azinger was found to be in breach of Rule 17-2b for "unauthorized attendance" of the flagstick.

Rule 17-2b states: "In stroke play, if a fellow competitor or his caddie attends, removes or holds up the flagstick without the competitor's authority or prior knowledge while the competitor is making a stroke or his ball is in motion, the fellow competitor shall incur the penalty for breach of this rule."

"It's clear in black and white," Azinger said during ESPN's broadcast. "I understand that, but common sense ...

"You just kind of grin and bear it. I've got two more days to play and maybe it will inspire me to do better. It's just one of those things."

In the 1991 Tournament at Doral, Azinger inadvertently moved a rock taking a stance in a hazard. A day later, a viewer called officials, and a video review showed that Azinger violated the rules. Because Azinger did not include a two-stroke penalty in the round, he was disqualified for signing an incorrect card.

"None of us knew what happened. We had no idea," said Funk, two strokes back after a 68. "I can't imagine sitting at home and seeing something and saying, 'Got to call it in,' especially something like that."

Howell, seeking his second victory in three full seasons on the Tour, shot a 68 on the historic Hamilton Golf and Country Club course to take a one-stroke lead over Tom Byrum (69) and Japanese players Kenichi Kuboya (67) and Hidemichi Tanaka (70).

"The golf course didn't play as tough today as it did yesterday, at least this morning," Howell said. "Yesterday afternoon, the wind was really up and really blowing. But still, even today, this golf course is not easy."

The former Oklahoma State star began play on the back nine with seven straight pars and got to 4 under with a birdie on the par-5 17th. He dropped a stroke on No. 3, but rebounded with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 fourth and reached 5 under with a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 7.

"I putted better yesterday, but I played better overall today," said Howell, the 2001 rookie of the year after winning the 2000 NCAA title. "Yesterday was more of a grind, more of a battle with the wind and course conditions. Today, at least for the first nine holes, the wind was down and there were some birdies out there."

Loren Roberts (67), Tom Lehman (69), Kelly Gibson (70) and Briny Baird (66) matched Funk at 3 under, and Masters champion Mike Weir, the Canadian star who beat Howell in a playoff in February in the Nissan Open, shot his second straight 69 to join Azinger and Steve Allan (66) at 2 under.

"It's going to play tough on the weekend, which is great," said Weir, attempting to become the first Canadian winner since Pat Fletcher in 1954. "I'm only three shots back. That's nothing in two days."

Divots: Chris Baryla became the first Canadian amateur to make the cut since Doug Roxburgh in 1983, shooting a 68 for a 1-under 139. Baryla, from Vernon, British Columbia, is a senior at Texas-El Paso.

• John Daly withdrew after eight holes because of a swollen right hand. He birdied the second hole, but dropped two strokes with a double bogey on No. 4 and two more with bogeys on Nos. 5 and 7, leaving him 8 over for the Tournament.

• Vijay Singh, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 4, followed his opening 75 with a 67 to finish at 2 over.

• Australia's Adam Scott, the Deutsche Bank Championship winner Monday, had a 69 to make the cut by a stroke at 3 over.

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