GOLF: Charles Howell leads after the second round of the US Tour Championship at Eastlake Country Club in Atlanta yesterday but, on a day when conditions worsened as play progressed, the early starters, including world number one Tiger Woods, were the ones to profit most.

Howell, who trailed by one overnight, hung on best of the leaders to shoot a round of 69 for a five-under-par total of 135. He leads by one from overnight leaders Steve Lowery and Vijay Singh, last year's PGA champion David Toms and Len Mattiace.

Toms shot a best of the day 66 but Singh and Lowery struggled to one over par 71s, and Singh had to birdie the daunting 235 yard par three 18th for the second day in a row to hang on to second place.

The failure of the leaders to repeat the low scoring of the first day let Woods back into the picture after his second round of 68 and he now trails by just four with 36 holes to play.

Woods had something of an up and down round which included six birdies and three bogeys but it leaves him in tied ninth place and ready to pounce over the weekend.

On a day when strongs winds buffeted the players, Toms achieved the remarkable feat of a bogey free round and Howell, out second last in the worst of the weather, showed commendable maturity to par the last eight holes. The Italian Open has been reduced to 54 holes after no play at all was possible yesterday.

A violent thunderstorm in the early hours of yesterday morning left parts of the Olgiata course on the outskirts of Rome under water.

The reduction to 54 holes was bad news for Padraig Harrington's chances of overtaking Retief Goosen at the top of the Order of Merit ahead of next week's decisive Volvo Masters.

Harrington needs to finish in the top four to overhaul the South African, but trails Ian Poulter by 10 shots after the first round.