Golf: Tiger ready to pounce

With Tiger Woods ready to pounce, Paul Azinger moved to the top of the leaderboard in the US PGA Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Ohio by posting his second-best score of the year.

Azinger carded a five-under-par 67 to open a one-stroke lead over Vijay Singh of Fiji at the halfway stage, when play was suspended because of darkness with three players still on the course.

Azinger, who overcame cancer in 1994, has a 36-hole total of nine-under 135 his only better round this year was a 66 in the first round of the Players Championship in March.

Singh made the day’s biggest gain, climbing from a tie for 23rd to second place with a 66.

Woods, the two-time defending champion, struggled for most of his round but is just two shots off the pace and in prime position to make a charge.

He birdied number 17 for a three-under 69, to be alongside first-round co-leader Chris Smith and Sergio Garcia at 137.

Garcia, who won the Colonial two weeks ago for his first PGA Tour title, fired a 69.

Five players are tied for sixth on 138, including first-round co-leader Scott Verplank, who settled for an even-par 72.

Back on American soil, Woods is continuing to prepare for his US Open title defence in two weeks at Tulsa.

He rallied from a 10-stroke deficit to win by four strokes for his fourth victory of the year.

Last year’s Memorial was extended to Monday due to rain, with Woods becoming the first back-to-back winner of this event with a five-stroke victory over Justin Leonard and South Africa’s Ernie Els.

The previous year, he posted a two-shot win over Singh.

Jack Nicklaus, playing on his home course, won here in 1977 and 1984 and returned to the PGA Tour this week after finishing 12th at last week’s Senior PGA Championship.