JERSEY CITY, N.J. Webb Simpson looked at the scores and the weather, neither of which indicated an easy time Friday at Liberty National. He quickly settled on a simple game plan Friday and made it pay off in The Barclays.

Simpson took advantage on some of the shorter holes to give him a cushion for the inevitable mistakes. It led to a 3-under 68 on a long, tough and wet afternoon that put the 24-year-old rookie atop the leaderboard for the first time all year.

My caddie and I talked beforehand about taking advantage of the par 5s and the shorter par 4s, just because we knew we were going to make bogeys, Simpson said. It was just one of those long, tough days. But I feel good with where Im at.

He was at 8-under 134, two shots clear of Paul Goydos and Steve Marino, who started the second round tied for the lead and did well to get around in even-par 71.

Sergio Garcia also was tied for the lead, got stuck in the morning wave and the worst of the rain, and shot a 76.

It was hands down I mean, forget about the PGA (Championship) it was the longest course Ive played this year, the way it was playing, Garcia said. I dont know how many 5-, 4- and 3-irons I hit into the greens. I hit some woods into the green.

Tiger Woods tried to hit driver onto one green on the 16th, where the tees were moved up. His shot sailed 65 yards wide of his target, over the water hazard, beyond the tee boxes at No. 17. He nearly crushed a tee marker before stopping the club a foot short, and while he made par, it summed up his frustration.

Woods had a 72, yet still moved up 10 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 17th at even-par 142. For the second straight day, he refused to meet with reporters to discuss his round.

Also on Friday:

Late eagle lifts OMeara

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. Still winless on the Champions Tour, Mark OMeara eagled the 18th hole to take a two-shot lead over a jumbled field after the first round of the Boeing Classic.

Playing the uphill, 498-yard par-5, OMeara knocked his second shot from about 205 yards onto the green, then made a 17-foot putt to separate himself from a pack of 15 players within three shots of the lead.

Lawrie up two strokes in Scotland

GLENEAGLES, Scotland Paul Lawrie shot a second straight bogey-free round with a 3-under 69, for a two-stroke lead at the Johnnie Walker Championship.

The 1999 British Open champion had six birdies and an eagle over 36 holes. Jonathan Caldwell (66) of Northern Ireland, Maarten Lafeber (67) of the Netherlands and Daniel Vancsik (69) of Argentina trailed the leader.

Semifinals set for U.S. Amateur

TULSA, Okla. Byeong-Hun An has advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur with his second straight playoff win.