Vijay Singh added over $3 million to his bank account from earnings on the US Tour this year, but failed to win a tournament.

Yesterday, on a cool and windy day in southern California, the Fijian shot a second-round 66 for 10-under-par 134 to assume the midway lead in the limited-field Williams World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club.

Nobody needed to tell Singh, however, that the ominous presence of Woods - the originator of the tournament and seeking a first win in this particular event - was in close proximity.

Woods, the world's number one, added a 67 for nine-under-par to be just a shot adrift of the halfway leader, while Bernhard Langer continued his good form to be the leading European challenger, three shots behind Singh.

For Padraig Harrington, however, it proved to be an eventful - and frustrating - round. The Dubliner had a terrible start: bogey-birdie-quadruple bogey on the way to covering the front nine in 41, five-over, to effectively drop out of contention.

To his credit, he responded with a string of four successive birdies from the 11th to the 14th before bogeying the final hole for a second round 74, and a midway total of one-under-par 143.

It was an even more exasperating day for the other Irishman in the field as Darren Clarke, again struggling on the greens, had a 73 to finish on 145, while Denmark's Thomas Bjorn collapsed to an 80 for 153, which left him at the bottom of the field.

Defending champion Davis Love III also had a day to forget, struggling to a 75 which left him 12 shots off the pace.

It was a case of back to reality for joint-overnight leader Mark O'Meara who fell back with a 74.

The most significant move came from Jesper Parnevik, who defied the difficult conditions to shoot a best-of-the-day 65 to move to six-under.