Vijay Singh, last year's leading money winner on the PGA Tour, continued his sizzling form with a spectacular nine-under-par 64 in the second round of the season-opening Mercedes Championship.
Treating testing winds with disdain, the 40-year-old from Fiji birdied the final seven holes on Maui's Kapalua Plantation course to pull one stroke ahead of first round leader Stuart Appleby, whose 67 was not enough to stay in front.
The Australian was five shots ahead at the turn but had no answer to Singh's 29 on the back nine.
Singh is at 14-under 132, one shot better than first round leader Stuart Appleby (67). Darren Clarke shot a 69 for a 36-hole total of 10-under 136.
Tiger Woods recovered from a shocking start to shoot 70, which left him nine strokes off the pace.
Singh started his birdie streak at the par-four 12th. Of his seven closing birdies, two came on lengthy putts but the other five were virtual tap-ins.
"I was disappointed with the front nine. I had a lot of chances," he said.
"It wasn't that I wasn't putting well. I just didn't make any. On the back nine they started going in. I wasn't trying anything different. I like the way I am putting.
"If you drive it well, the back nine is a lot easier to make birdies on. If you play well, you can shoot low. These fairways are quite generous and if you hit it nicely, you have a lot of sand wedges.
Singh, who hit 16 greens in regulation, said he had no intention of playing conservatively over the final two rounds.
"I am not going to play it safe," Singh said.
"I am going to pull out my driver, like I did today, if the wind is the same. I have got to see if I can extend my lead even further.
Woods lost his opening tee shot in long rough and took double bogey before dropping another shot at the second, but made no more mistakes after that.
"I am frustrated because I have wasted too many shots and that is not the way I play," he lamented.
"Normally I don't make this many mistakes. I keep fighting back but I need to get off to a good start and not put
myself in the hole.
Woods also hit a snap hook off the final tee and had to take another penalty, but this time he escaped with a par. He is concerned about his ability to make a move over the weekend.
"The greens are not as smooth as normal," he said. "It is hard to go low."