Sergio Garcia retains two shot advantage

Spain's Sergio Garcia mastered perplexing windy conditions to card a second round one-under-par 71 and retain his two-shot advantage at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday.

The first-round leader mixed three birdies with a pair of bogeys at the Quail Hollow Golf Club to move to seven-under 137 through 36 holes, a couple of shots ahead of three players, including world number two Vijay Singh.

Back in action for the first time since winning the U.S. Masters last month, Tiger Woods mixed five birdies with five bogeys for a level par round that left him five shots off the lead on two-under 142.

The 25-year-old Garcia produced a steady and patient performance, particularly during a bogey-free back nine, in gusting winds that had many players scratching their heads.

"As well as I played yesterday, you always come out there thinking, 'let's see if I can do something similar'," Garcia said. "But the course was playing a bit tougher today and it was a lot windier.

"Some of those fairways are almost impossible to hit.

"It felt good to go out there and only make two bogeys and make a couple birdies here and there.

"I played well today but I didn't hit the ball nearly as well as yesterday."

Singh made a flawless start to his round and was four under through 12 holes before faltering slightly over the closing stretch, mixing a pair of bogeys with a birdie for a three-under-par 69.

At the halfway stage, the Fijian is in a tie for second with Americans D.J. Trahan and defending champion Joey Sindelar on five-under 139.

Sweden's Richard S Johnson and Americans Brett Quigley and Scott Verplank are a shot further back at four-under 140.

"It's gusty," Singh said. "At times you think it's calm and just when you're going to be making contact with the ball, the wind comes up. The ball can go anywhere.

"This is the worst kind of wind where it's up-and-down, up-and-down. It's not a consistent type of wind. It's blowing steady and then all of a sudden there will be nothing there."

Chasing a fourth win of the season, world number one Woods rued some missed chances.

"Off to a great start, unfortunately I didn't just quite keep it going," he said.

"I had my opportunities to make some more birdies, but I slipped back and made a couple bogeys. Then I got it going early on the back nine before slipping up again.

"Hopefully, tomorrow, I can get off to a similar start and just keep it going.

"You just have to be patient and take what the golf course gives you. This course is such that if you shoot a round in the mid-60s you'll move up that board and that's the great thing about it.

"Hopefully, I can do that."

Also playing for the first time since Augusta, Phil Mickelson has yet to find his best form, stumbling to a double-bogey, bogey finish for a one-over 73 to sit seven shots adrift on 144.

Chris DiMarco, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the Masters and suffered a final round meltdown in New Orleans last week, vaulted into contention with the joint-best round of the day, a five-under 67, to join four others at three-under 141.

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