IRVING, Texas — Tiger Woods sprinkled in a few birdies with some solid par saves for a 3-under 67 Friday at cool, blustery Cottonwood Valley and took a one-shot lead at the Byron Nelson Championship.
Woods, who lost the 36-hole lead last week at the Wachovia Championship, will be in the final group Saturday with 47-year-old Mark O'Meara, his best buddy on tour.
O'Meara, who had a 4-under 66, has not won on the PGA Tour since the '98 British Open and is playing this year on a one-time exemption for being in the top 25 in career money. He won earlier this year in the Dubai Desert Classic against a field that included Woods and Ernie Els.
Woods was at 8-under 132, his best start at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship since a 64-64 in 1997 when he won.
Sergio Garcia, who finished third in his PGA Tour debut at the Byron Nelson five years ago, birdied three of his last four holes on the TPC at Las Colinas to salvage a 68 and was in a large group at 134 that included Peter Lonard (70), Jerry Kelly (68) and Jonathan Byrd (67).
Defending champion Vijay Singh also made a nice recovery with birdies on three of his last four holes at Cottonwood Valley, finishing with a 67 for a 135 total, only three shots out of the lead.
Masters champion Phil Mickelson had a couple of streaks end — he shot a 2-over 72, ending his run of 21 consecutive rounds at par or better; and at 1-over 141 he missed the cut for the first time this year.
LPGA TOUR: At Franklin, Tenn., Lorena Ochoa shot a 5-under 67 and shared a one-stroke lead with Pat Hurst in the weather-delayed second round of the Franklin American Mortgage Championship.
Play was called because of darkness Friday night with 19 golfers still on the course. Golfers struggled with winds that gusted up to 25 mph until heavy rains stopped play for 1 hour, 40 minutes in the late afternoon.
Ochoa, the 2003 rookie of the year who is looking for her first career victory, finished tied for second last week, two strokes behind winner Se Ri Pak despite sharing the third-round lead at the Michelob Ultra Open.
Ochoa, who had six birdies and a bogey Friday, was at 7-under 137 and tied with Hurst, who just missed birdie putts on her final two holes to finish with six birdies and two bogeys on a Legends Club course where she won in 2000.
First-round leader Nancy Scranton (72), Dorothy Delasin (67) and Wendy Ward (70) were tied for third at 138.
Asian Open: At Shanghai, China, Simon Dyson of England shot a 3-under 69 to take a two-stroke lead halfway through the Asian Open, with Greg Norman four shots behind.
Dyson, whose first-round 66 was a course record, was at 9-under 135 after two rounds. Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain (66) and Paul McGinley of Ireland (69) shared second at 137.
Norman, one stroke back after the first round, shot a par 72. The 49-year-old Australian ended the day at 5-under 139 after making four bogeys.
Defending champion Padraig Harrington shot a second straight 72 and was nine strokes off the lead.