David Duval leads by 5 shots

KA LUA, Hawaii (January 8, 1999) The Mercedes Championships braced for a big storm that didn't arrive today. In its place was something much more daunting -- David Duval playing like last year never ended.

On another dry, relatively calm day off the coast of Maui, Duval tied the Kapalua Plantation course record with a 10-under-par 63 that gave him a five-stroke lead through two rounds of the season-opening, winners-only event.

"I can't say a key was anything," said Duval, who won four times last year and set a record with nearly $2.6 million in earnings. "You don't just putt well and shoot 10-under. You have to do everything well."

And he did -- a drive that caught the slope on No. 6 and stopped rolling 380 yards from the tee, setting up an easy birdie on the 398-yard hole; a 5-iron into 2 feet on the 203-yard eighth hole; and solid putting throughout the round.

It all added up to 16-under 130, an unusually low 36-hole score in unusually benign conditions.

"We haven't had a taste of how this golf course plays," Duval said.

PGA champion Vijay Singh lost ground despite an 8-under 65. He was at 11-under 135 along with Billy Mayfair and Fred Funk, who each had a share of the four-way lead after the first round.

Fred Couples, who has made only one birdie on a par-5 all week, and Davis Love III were among those at 137. Both have won the Kapalua International tournament twice. Mark O'Meara and Tiger Woods were another stroke back.

The 10-under matched Duval's best round on tour -- he shot a 62 in the third round at Pebble Beach in 1997, when he wound up one stroke behind O'Meara; and he shot a 62 in the Tucson Classic last year in the second round on his way to the first of four victories last year.

"Both times I did it with a 28-34," Duval said. "Consistently, this was probably the best one."

That can't be a good sign to everyone else.

Duval won more than anyone last year on the PGA Tour, along with the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average. The way his first two rounds have gone, this year might be even better.

"It's like I continued from last year," Duval said. "I didn't really take a break. I put time in the gym and I put time in the golf."

The result is another great start by the player regarded by his peers as the best in the world. A victory in the Mercedes would be his eighth in the last 27 tournaments, a performance that ranks up there with Tom Watson, Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus at the peak of their games.

Unless his game breaks down, the only thing that could slow Duval over the weekend is the typical Trade winds from the Northeast, which is in the forecast.

"That might be the only thing we can hope for, the way David is playing," Love said.

The Kona breeze from the Southwest picked up only slightly, but not enough to prevent another scoring assault. Michael Bradley (78) and Jesper Parnevik (74) were the only players who didn't break par today, and only Bradley and Steve Elkington were over par for 36 holes.

The forecast of rain, which caused tee times to begin two hours early, never materialised. The only defence on a course with generous fairways was the spacious, sloping greens with Bermuda grain so strong it can give a player fits.

But after two days of practice and two rounds, they are starting to figure them out -- nobody more so than Duval.

"We're going to need something different than we've played in all week," Woods said. "If we get a little wind, it might be different. If you look at most of the tournaments David has won, he's led after three rounds."

Of the four tournaments Duval won in 1998, he either led or shared the lead going into the final round. Another round like the one he had today could turn Sunday into a scenic stroll -- and yet another victory for Duval.