Woods Shoots 66 and Leads by 5

In one of his best rounds of the year, Tiger Woods made seven birdies and finished with a four-under-par 66 Friday, taking a five-stroke lead after two rounds of the American Express Championship at Woodstock, Ga.

“It’s awfully nice to be in front,” said Woods, who was at seven-under 133.

He hasn’t been in that position since the Western Open in early July, which is also the last time he won.

Woods is 19-4 when having at least a share of the 36-hole lead.

The challenge falls to Rocco Mediate, Tim Herron, Sergio Garcia and K.J. Choi, who were at three-under 138.

The only other players under par were Stuart Appleby (68) and Ignacio Garrido (71), who were at 139. Vijay Singh had his second even-par 70 and was at 140.

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John Huston shot his second straight 66 and took a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic at Madison, Miss.

Huston began the day in a three-way tie for the lead and ended it at 12-under 132.

John Daly, meanwhile, backhanded two putts and one-handed a ball out of the rough during an 11-over 83. He finished two rounds at 15-over 159.

Daly, who started the day four over, took a seven on his first hole, the par-three 10th. He backhanded two of his six putts, playing his ball like a hockey puck.

He had a triple bogey on the 13th that included a one-handed swipe from the rough after his approach flew over the green.

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Se Ri Pak shot an eight-under 64, taking a one-stroke lead over Sophie Gustafson after two rounds of the Longs Drugs Challenge at Lincoln, Calif.

Pak had one eagle and seven birdies in setting a tournament record with a nine-under 135. Gustafson had three birdies in a two-under 70 that followed her opening 66.

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Motor Racing

Jimmie Johnson broke the track qualifying record at Kansas Speedway in winning the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup Series Banquet 400.

Johnson’s lap of 180.373 mph in a Chevrolet around the 1 1/2-mile tri-oval broke the year-old mark of 177.924 mph by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who qualified third in a Chevrolet at 179.581. Mike Skinner was second in a Pontiac at 179.647.

Michael Waltrip won the pole for today’s NASCAR Busch Series Mr. Goodcents 300 at Kansas Speedway with a record-setting qualifying run. He turned in a fast lap of 178.365 mph in his Chevrolet to break his year-old qualifying mark of 173.831 mph.

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Tennis

Taylor Dent, Vince Spadea, Sargis Sargsian and defending champion Paul-Henri Mathieu won their quarterfinal matches at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Sargsian defeated second-seeded Agustin Calleri, 6-3, 6-4; Dent beat Marc Rosset, 6-3, 6-4; Spadea defeated Stefan Koubek, 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, and Mathieu beat Igor Andreev, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

In the women’s quarterfinals, second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo beat Vera Zvonareva, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, and will face Elena Dementieva, who advanced when Francesca Schiavone quit with a strained right shoulder. Dementieva won the first set, 6-1, and led, 2-1, in the second.

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Pro Hockey

Free-agent goaltender Jamie Storr signed a one-year, $500,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Storr, whose deal also includes incentive clauses, split time with Felix Potvin with the Kings last season, going 12-19-2 with a 2.55 goals against average.

Already facing felony charges for a high-speed crash that left a teammate in a coma, Atlanta Thrasher All-Star Dany Heatley learned that he will require knee surgery.

An MRI exam confirmed the seriousness of the injury. Heatley will need surgery to repair the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee.

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Miscellany

The teenage son of former major league pitcher Dwight Gooden was arrested and charged with selling crack cocaine to undercover deputies in Tampa, Fla.

Dwight Eugene Gooden Jr., 17, was arrested Wednesday after selling $200 worth of the drug, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Lt. Rod Reder said.

Heavyweight Jameel McCline (30-3-3, 19 knockouts) handed Cedric Boswell (21-1, 16) his first defeat with a technical knockout in the 10th and final round of their main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

The eighth Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation dinner tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena will add to its more than $23-million legacy for at-risk children in the Las Vegas area.

Last year’s event, hosted by tennis star Andre Agassi, raised $5.6 million. Entertainers donating their time to perform in front of an expected sellout crowd of more than 12,000 include Sheryl Crow, Faith Hill, Billy Joel, Elton John, Dennis Miller and Robin Williams.