Japan's Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki took the half-way lead in the £3 million Players Championship at Ponte Verde, Florida, for the second year running.

Ozaki, the 42-year-old younger brother of world number 14 Jumbo, followed up an opening 69 with a 68 for an exact replica of his seven-under-par half-way total of 137 from 12 months ago.

That is where he hopes the similarities stop. Closing rounds of 76 and 74 dropped him to joint 18th in golf's biggest tournament outside the four majors, and he finished last season only 121st on the American money list.

He leads world number two David Duval, who shot a second successive 69, by one stroke and 47-year-old Bruce Lietzke by two. A star-studded leaderboard also sees Davis Love, Ernie Els and Curtis Strange three strokes back, with Tiger Woods one shot further adrift.

Darren Clarke finally began to find some form. He followed an opening 77 with a fine, two-under-par 70 to finish on three-over-par, three inside the cut. Clarke's round included an eagle on the second and with four birdies as well he got all the way back to one over before bogeying the 16th and 18th.

Colin Montgomerie was lying joint second on five under after following an outward 34 with a hat-trick of birdies.

But then came three bogeys and the Scot, joint runner-up in the event three years ago, had to settle for a 70 and two-under 142 aggregate. It left him joint 12th.

Nick Faldo, who had shared the lead after nine holes of his first round, managed only a 75 and at two over the only real consolation was that he had survived just his second cut of what has so far been a miserable season.

Lee Westwood, fifth last year, is back in the hunt alongside Montgomerie at two under, knocking four strokes off his opening 73.

The world number six turned in 35 and then had three successive birdies from the 11th to boost his hopes and salvaged a great par from dense rough just short of the final green.

Duval had chances to overtake Ozaki late in the day but missed birdie putts of seven feet at the long 16th and five feet on the last.

Ian Woosnam easily missed the cut despite an eight-shot improvement on his first-day 80 - it kept him eight over and the likely cutoff was four over - while Seve Ballesteros is still seeking his first weekend action of the season after crashing to an 81 for a 13-over total of 157.

Montgomerie said: "I played a near-perfect back nine but after adding those three birdies I don't know what happened.

"I hit a wedge too far on the fourth, pushed my drive into the water on the fifth and then at the eighth got myself on the wrong side of the green.

"But I've not holed a putt over five feet in 36 holes and you can't compete if you do that because someone else is holing them.

"It was a disappointing finish but I am playing well and I like this course. I have a good record here and hopefully I will get up there over the weekend and compete. I'm playing well enough."

Faldo's decline began with his inward 39 in the first round but after 10 holes today he was back to two under.

Then, however, came a bogey six at the second after he tangled with deep rough and he paid an even bigger penalty for doing the same on the short third, running up a double-bogey five.

"I hit two bad shots into two wicked lies. That hurt a lot," he said.

"But I am still here (for the final two rounds) - that was one of the goals. I've got no confidence in the bank and I'm just pleased I've made it through and I'll keep bashing away."

John Daly, Montgomerie's scheduled playing partner, withdrew citing a hip injury. He had started with an 83.