Craig Parry played with Vijay Singh in the second round at the Mercedes Championship, and saw close up why the world No.1 is ranked where he is.

Australian Parry hadn't been paired with Singh for quite a while, and he was struck by the improvement in his game.

"He hits more shots at the hole," Parry said. "He's hitting it close and holing putts. That's a pretty good combination."

Singh shot a bogey-free 65 to post a 15-under-par 131 halfway total and open a two-shot lead over Canadian Mike Weir, whose 63 was the day's best score in a moderate breeze on Maui's Kapalua course.

South African Ernie Els (65) was another shot back in third place, while Tiger Woods was bamboozled by the slow, grainy greens for the second successive day, missing four times from inside 1.5 metres en route to a 68 that left him five shots behind.

Australian Stuart Appleby, who started the day equal second last, made a big move with a bogey-free 64, a 10-shot improvement over his previous effort.

He was equal ninth at eight-under 138, one shot better than Parry (72).

Singh, who dominated the US PGA Tour with nine wins last year, picked up seven shots in the first 12 holes, but didn't add another birdie until the last.

"I just didn't make good putts, but I still played solid," he said. "I was really comfortable out there. I didn't feel nervous and it was a wind I knew (from previous years). I feel good with my game."

Singh, born in Fiji of Indian descent, will use the online auction site eBay to sell a vehicle he won as part of his prize for last year's Buick Open, with the proceeds going to UNICEF's relief efforts for young tsunami victims.

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