LOS ANGELES - Mike Weir's victory last year at Riviera was no fluke.
Neither was John Daly's victory last weekend.
Weir birdied five of his last seven holes Friday for 7-under-par 64 that gave him a tie for the lead with Shigeki Maruyama, a share of the 36-hole record at the Nissan Open and hopes of joining idol Ben Hogan as a back-to-back winner at Riviera.
None of that seemed to matter to a gallery gone gaga over Daly.
Coming off a stunning victory at Torrey Pines - his first on the PGA Tour in nine years - Daly played even better in his round of 64 that left him two shots out of the lead.
"It's a great feeling," Daly said. "I really didn't mishit a golf shot."
He wasn't alone. The average score was 69.76. Tiger Woods shot 66 and headed into the weekend eight shots behind Weir and Maruyama.
Maruyama only was hopeful of making the cut and wound up with 66. He and Weir were at 12-under 130, tying the 36-hole record set by Davis Love in 1992.
Daly also tied a record - most trips to the media center in one week.
He was as entertaining in 20 minutes with reporters as he was on the course.
Among the latest revelations:
He has lost 47 pounds since the start of the year. "I just went nuts at Christmas, ate everything in sight," he said.
He still hates flying commercial. "You pay for gas and hope you get there," he said.
He drives a customized motor home that has three 42-inch plasma televisions.
Weir came into the room and jokingly sat on Daly's lap. Scott McCarron, who didn't play last week, was supposed to go skiing Sunday until he saw Daly in the lead at Torrey Pines.
"I canceled my ski trip to stay and watch the golf tournament," said McCarron, who was tied with Briny Baird at 131. "John Daly means a lot to golf, and I just hope he keeps going the way he's going now because he's playing some great golf."
Weir isn't doing too badly, either.
He saved his round with a 40-foot par putt on No.8, and despite missing birdie chances on Nos.10 and 11, played the toughest holes with ease.
Weir used to show up at Riviera and go home for the weekend. That changed last year when he got into a playoff with Charles Howell and won on the second hole.
"I seem to have figured this course out," said Weir, who has shot his last five rounds at Riviera in the 60s.
Woods got his act together, too, driving the ball better than he has in a while. Woods started the second round below the cut line, and he removed any drama about making his 117th consecutive cut with two birdies on his final three holes that put him in a large group at 4-under 138.
Shaun Micheel, who shared the opening led with Maruyama, shot 70-134.
EUROPEAN PGA: Thaworn Wiratchant and Lee Sung-man shared the clubhouse lead at the Malaysian Open after rain in Kuala Lumpur interrupted second-round play. Thaworn shot 5-under 67 for a two-day total of 137. Lee shot 68. Less than half the field completed the round, which resumes this morning.
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Adam Groom shot 2-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Jacob's Creek Open in Adelaide, Australia. Groom was 7-under 135 in the event co-sanctioned by the Australasian tour. Anthony Painter (71), Paul Gow (65) and Jens Nilsson (69) were a stroke back.
ELS WITHDRAWS: The Match Play Championship lost another top player when Ernie Els withdrew. The No.3 player in the world said he wanted be in London when his 4-year-old daughter goes to school for the first time. Earlier this week, Jim Furyk (No.5) said he would withdraw because of torn cartilage in his left wrist that has kept him from playing since the Sony Open. It's the first time at the La Costa Resort in Los Angeles that the event has lost two players from the top 10. The 64-man field for next week's tournament is determined by the world rankings.
