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Singh out as top-10 streak ends

Wire services
Published February 14, 2004

SAN DIEGO - With most of the focus on whether the biggest stars would make the cut, Stewart Cink kept making birdies and shot 9-under 63 to take a two-shot lead Friday in the Buick Invitational.

Cink now faces two rounds on the South course at Torrey Pines with plenty of players, including defending champion Tiger Woods, very much in the mix.

Vijay Singh isn't among them. He missed three straight birdie putts from 15 feet to shoot 73 and miss the cut by one shot, ending his streak of 12 consecutive top 10s.

"I'll probably start a streak next week," Singh said.

Phil Mickelson had to birdie the last two holes for 69 to make the cut on the number at 1 under.

Woods, who started with a spectacular 3-iron out of the trees that landed 2 feet from the cup, was around the cut line after three bogeys during a sloppy four-hole stretch on the easy North course. He finished with five birdies on his final 11 holes for 68, and was six behind Cink.

Kevin Stadler, the first-round leader by one, shot 64-74.

ANZ CHAMPIONSHIP: Laura Davies was next to last after two rounds, finishing 154th and missing the cut in Port Stephens, Australia.

"You never say never, but no at this stage if I was invited to play at another event," said Davies, who missed the cut by four strokes at the men's Korean Open in October.

"I'd rather have had a go and not made the cut and finished poorly than just sit back and turn the invitation down because I would always have been wondering. Now I know."

Davies, the first woman to compete in an event sanctioned by the European and Australasian tours, had a two-day total of minus-13 points. That was 40 points behind leader Steve Webster under the modified Stableford scoring system.

Players receive eight for double eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, minus-1 for bogey, and minus-3 for double bogey or higher.

Webster scored 13 points Friday to take a one-point lead at 27.

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