Doral Inspires Cink; Woods Leads in Dubai

The feel of familiar Bermuda grass under his feet and balmy sunshine on his face can change Stewart Cink’s attitude and his expectations. That’s why he isn’t surprised to be leading the Genuity Championship at Miami.

Coming off a wet, unpredictable West Coast swing in which he had only one top-10 finish in six tournaments, Cink shot a bogey-free 66 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Hal Sutton and Mike Weir.

“I feel comfortable here,” said Cink, whose 14-under 130 was one stroke off the 36-hole record at Doral. “I don’t see why I can’t keep going. You gain confidence from what you did in the past, not what you expect in the future.”

For the second day in a row, Cink missed only four greens and never came close to anything but par or better. All of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet, and the only time he felt he had to scramble was on the par-five first hole. He hit a fairway bunker off the tee, hit it fat coming out and had an eight-iron shot into the green. The ball stopped five feet away from the hole, setting up a birdie putt.

Sutton relied on his solid driving to get in position for seven birdies in a round of 66 that left him at 132.

A pair of Aussies, Greg Chalmers (66) and Nissan Open champion Robert Allenby (67), were another stroke back at 133, followed by Billy Andrade and two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, who each had a seven-under 65.

Jack Nicklaus shot a 73 and missed the cut by two strokes.

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Winless in five U.S. tour events this season, Tiger Woods reminded organizers of the Dubai Desert Classic why they paid him $2 million to play in the Persian Gulf.

He birdied the last two holes for his second consecutive eight-under 64, taking a two-stroke lead over Thomas Bjorn of Denmark in what is virtually a two-man event in the United Arab Emirates.

Woods’ total of 16-under 128 is a tournament record for the opening 36 holes, two better than the mark set by Ernie Els in 1994.

“When this guy brings his best golf game, there is nobody in the world who is going to beat him,” Bjorn said. “If I keep playing my best, he’s got to just let off a little bit. The way he’s playing right now over the first two rounds is why he’s the world No. 1.”

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New Zealand’s Lynette Brooky held a four-shot lead over American Kelly Robbins after the second round of the ANZ Australian Ladies Masters tournament, following an opening 66 with a seven-under 65 at Gold Coast.