Fans miss quite a show from Tiger

Tiger Woods produced a round that would have had the spectators roaring.

Teeing off in front of empty stands, Woods shot a second straight 6-under 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead at 12-under 128 over Gary Woodland (66) after the second round of the rain-hit Zozo Championship in Inzai City, Japan.

Organizers of the PGA Tour’s first tournament in Japan took the unusual step of closing the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club course to spectators for Saturday’s second round over safety concerns. The tournament will finish Monday.

Torrential rain washed out play on Friday causing the second round to be moved to Saturday after the course took on more than eight inches of rain. Flooding and mudslides in towns in the surrounding area left at least nine people dead, expanding damage in areas still recovering from recent typhoons.

With the course in remarkably good condition, Woods picked up where he left off after a 64 in Thursday’s opening round with a birdie on the first hole. It was one of seven birdies on the day that gave him a 36hole total of 12-under 128, two shots ahead of Woodland (66).

Local favorite Hideki Matsuyama and Keegan Bradley were tied for third at 8 under.

SOUTH KOREANS DOMINATE IN BUSAN >> South Koreans Somi Lee and Seung Yeon Lee were tied for the third-round lead at the Buick Ladies Championship, the second tournament on the LPGA’S fourtournament Asian swing in Busan, South Korea. Somi Lee shot 67 and Yeon Lee 68 and had 54hole totals of 13-under 203. Ha Na Jang was in third place, a stroke behind, after a 68. Amy Yang (67), Busan-born Australian Su Oh (67) and second-round leader Danielle Kang (71) were two strokes behind.

The tour moves to Taiwan next week.