Weir vaults into share of lead with 64

Mike Weir 's victory last year at Riviera was no fluke.

Neither was John Daly's victory last week.

Weir birdied five of his last seven holes Friday for a 7-under 64 that gave him a tie for the lead with Shigeki Maruyama, a share of the 36-hole record at the Nissan Open and hopes of becoming the first back-to-back winner at Riviera since Ben Hogan.

None of that seemed to matter to a gallery gone gaga over Daly.

Coming off a stunning victory last week at Torrey Pines -- his first on the PGA TOUR in nine years -- Daly played even better in his round of 64 that left him only two shots out of the lead.

"It's a great feeling," Daly said. "I really didn't mis-hit a golf shot." He wasn't alone on a cool, overcast day off Sunset Boulevard, where the average score was 69.76. Tiger Woods shot a 66 and didn't make up any ground, heading into the weekend eight shots behind Weir and Maruyama.

Maruyama, a member at Riviera, was only hopeful of making the cut and wound up with a 66. He and Weir were at 12-under 130, tying the 36-hole record set by Davis Love III in 1992.

Scott McCarron (65) and Briny Baird (62) were another shot back.

Daly also tied a record -- most trips to the media center in one week.

He was as entertaining in 20 minutes with reporters as he was on the golf course.

Among the latest revelations:

• He has lost 47 pounds since the start of the year.

• He still hates flying commercial. "You pay for gas and hope you get there," he said.

• He drives his customized motor home around the country, with three 42-inch plasma TVs.

Weir came into the room and jokingly sat on Daly's lap. McCarron, who didn't play last week, was supposed to go skiing on Sunday until he saw Daly in the lead at Torrey Pines.

"I canceled my ski trip to stay and watch the golf tournament," McCarron said. "John Daly means a lot to golf, and I just hope he keeps going the way he's going now, because he's playing some great golf."

Weir isn't doing too badly, either.

He saved his round with a 40-foot par putt on No. 8 and, despite missing birdie chances on Nos. 10 and 11, played the toughest holes with ease.

Weir used to show up at Riviera and go home for the weekend. That all changed last year, when he got into a playoff with Charles Howell III and won on the second extra hole.

"I seem to have figured this course out," said Weir, who now has shot his last five rounds in the 60s at Riviera.

Woods showed improvement, too, driving the ball better than he has in a while. Woods started the second round below the cut line, but removed any drama about making his 117th consecutive cut with two birdies on his final three holes that put him in a large group at 4-under 138.

"I might even lose ground," Woods said when he finished. "Just seeing 20-odd guys at 4 under or better for the day ... I didn't think the golf course was playing that easy, but evidently it is."

While some of the names atop the leaderboard are familiar, the scoring wasn't.

Riviera is one of the toughest tracks on TOUR because of its small greens with deceptive breaks. Weir and Howell finished at 9-under 275. The cut this year -- 1-under 141 -- is five shots lower than last year.

"I didn't expect to be 12 under after two days," Weir said. "As you can see, the numbers are out there."

It was shaping up to be a fascinating weekend.

Weir has a chance to become the first repeat winner at Riviera since Hogan won three times in 1947-48, one of those coming in the U.S. Open.

The Canadian is a huge Hogan fan, having read his books and studied his swing.

Everyone, though, seems to be a Daly fan. He kept the gallery in suspense over every shot and every putt, and the cheers resounded across Riviera. The loudest of the day came on his 8-iron to the par-3 sixth, which landed on a slight ridge and rolled to within 15 inches of the cup.

Daly is living large at Riviera, only two shots out of the lead and plenty of possibilities awaiting on the weekend.

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